


Restored Hope

by AgentMicoo



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Brother Lance Hunter, F/M, Family, Gen, Hinted Sexual activity- nothing graphic, Kid Skye | Daisy Johnson, Lots of Crying, Past Abuse, Philinda - Freeform, Sister Bobbi Morse, Sister Natasha Romanov, Skye can't trust anyone, Skye is terrified of people, Slow Burn, There's Violence but it's not graphic, mama may
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 18:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10927746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMicoo/pseuds/AgentMicoo
Summary: 7 Year Old Skye has been passed around Home to Home, some of those Homes haven't been good ones, Fearful of Adults and questioning who she is has left the Child with Confusion and Questions. What happens when a Couple decide she's the perfect fit for their Family? Can she trust them, or are they just another Family set out to hurt? *Story May Contain Graphic/Intense Chapters*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Story is taken from FF.net(Me), It'll more or less be my same version over here as it was there with slight modifications, if you want Chapters 1-9 my FF account is AgentMikeK, though there will be slight changes from the transition to Ao3

Fear

 

Mary-Sue Poots couldn't wait to come back to the Orphanage for once, even at her young age she knew she was honestly safer at St. Agnes than any other home, she was especially even more happy when The Jackson's told her to 'Get Out' with the only things she came to live with them, 1 blanket, 3 shirts, and 2 pairs of pants all worn down and filled with holes, and one long-sleeve shirt she was instructed by the Family to keep on at all times to hide her marks. "Good riddens Mary." Mr. Jackson spat out before grinning. She pouted for a moment and yelled "My Name is Skye!"

Skye wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do now. Normally when a family brought her back here they went to the office.. But they just left her in the front speeding off laughing, and Skye was trying very very hard not to cry. She had just turned Seven a few months ago and was very confused. Her arms hurt and her legs were very tired, she was Hungry and very sleepy- Skye wasn't sure exactly what time she was woken up today but it was before the Sun came up so she knew it was early. But now it was later in the day and she hadn't eaten anything all day, so she forced back her tears and clutched her small bag of things and walked to the front doors and headed to the office.

As Skye made her way into the Office she was greeted by a loud sigh and one very mean Nun. "Mary-Sue? What have you done this time?" Sister Maggy asked, her tone slightly annoyed and Skye reached into her bag for a note, and silently handed the note to the nun.

"We're saddened to inform you this way but we had no choice but to return little Mary, she is very violent. This morning we woke up to her torturing our poor dog. We are sad to admit she can no longer stay with us, she yells, hits, and bites. Mary-Sue is a very difficult child, she is very dangerous and needs mental attention." Sister Maggy read out loud, and Skye wanted to defend herself since that is definitely not what happened with the Dog! But they had told her to keep her mouth shut. "I'm very disappointed in you Mary-Sue." Skye shook her head with fierce "Skye, my name is Skye!"

Sister Maggy sighed, "You are a problem... Well Lunch won't be for another few hours, make yourself useful and go set your bed up."

Skye frowned heavily. "B-but I'm Hungry!" She whined.

"You know the rules, You missed breakfast and lunch isn't for some time, I do hope the Lord can save you."

Skye wanted to yell, but she was too tired and too Hungry to even care. She had a whole range of emotions going on right now that she couldn't begin to understand so she carefully picked her small bag up and went into the designated room that she hated. It seemed everyone was mean to her at this place. The nuns at least didn't hit her anymore now that she used her right hand, but they yelled at her for her sloppy hand-writing, if she could even call it writing, it didn't help Skye could barely write, and it definitely didn't help she had a very hard time reading, if that's what you could even call it. Once she made her way to the room she placed her bag under her bed, even though she knew she was Seven and she was way too old for a blanket she didn't want another mishap where Tommy tried to rip it up. She frowned at her stomach as it growled and once she made sure the bag was carefully hidden she went to the front of the old decaying building she was forced to call home and sat under the big Oak Tree. No one usually bothered her there.

It only took about 15 minutes for the older kids to come outside, and of course as soon as she sighed in relief Tommy came walking over with his friends. "Look guys, Mary-Sue is back! What happened Mary Sue? Did you kill another Family?" The boys started laughing.

Skye was taken back to that night, It was raining loudly and it was more or less one of her more vivid memories she was able to actually remember as though it had happened yesterday. She was Five and had been with the best Family she was able to remember. Mr and Mrs. Bennet had just put Skye to bed, she was happy. She lived with the Bennet's for about 2 months before the accident, they were reading her a bedtime story and Skye was very into it as always, It was a Story about this Spider Guy who swung around with webs and beat all the bad guys, it was one of her favorite Stories ever! But with a loud clash of thunder there was a sound of a shatter downstairs, Skye shrieked. "Hey, it's okay. Your Mom will finish the story and I'll go make sure everything is alright." Everything wasn't alright after that, not even close.

She couldn't really remember what happened next but she remembered the Men in Black and the Red stuff everywhere. Looking back up at Tommy she stood up and did her best to look as intimidating as possible. "Shut up!" She yelled. Tommy and his friends laughed as he gave her one good push right into the tree and she fell down. "Or what Mary? You'll kill us too? Face it Mary, no one wants you or will ever want you."

"Hey!" A Couple yelled as they approached the Girl as the boys ran away. "Hey." They said again much quieter and more sweet as the older Women knelled down. "Are you alright? My name is May, what's yours?"

Skye fearfully stared at the two people in front of her, her natural instincts she had begun to develop of strangers and just adults in general began to kick in. The lady seemed nice but Skye was still scared, they all seemed nice at first. Her arm really hurt. Even as young as Skye was she knew her arm wasn't broken, but that didn't stop the tears from falling, these people probably thought she was a baby. "I'm Skye." She quietly told the two as she wiped her tears with her long sleeve that was way too long and hot today. May took note of that. "Well Skye, This is my Husband Phil are you hurt?"

Taken back at the nice soothing voice was almost warm to Skye, she wasn't sure what angle they were playing but she was too tired and too hurt and way too hungry to fight anymore. "My arm hurts." She subconsciously began to rub the top of her shoulder where it hurt the most. Her arms hurt before anyway but Skye hated hurting. "Well Skye." The Man... Phil started to talk, "May and I, we're Doctors. Can we take a look at that arm?" Skye shook her head, she didn't want anyone to see. "We're very gentle, we both are. Tell you what, it doesn't look broken, can you move your arm up and down like this?" May stuck her hand out and lifted it up and down, Skye tried to copy her move a little and winced in pain. "Definitely not broken, nothing a little ice can't fix, why don't you show us where we can find some ice." Skye nodded, somewhat pleased she didn't have to show them her arms. Skye wasn't too sure if she could trust these people, normally she couldn't trust anyone, especially the Men. They're the ones that always hit. So she stayed closer to May and had hoped she was at least not hurting Phil's feelings.

Skye lead the couple to the Main office that the adults used as a break room where ice and bandages were usually kept and she pointed to the freezer. May smiled softly as she grabbed some ice and wrapped it up. "We have a meeting to get to Skye, will you be okay?." Skye silently nodded, her eyes felt really Heavy, more-so than before anyway.. She gave Phil the look, they had decided on the ride here they weren't going to pick a child today, but May was a heavy believer in fate- and she knew deep down she had met this girl for a reason that seemed so scared. "Keep that ice on for about 20 minutes. Do you know how long that is on the clock?" Phil asked, Skye nodded even though she didn't. She didn't want them to think she was more of a baby than she had already acted on top of not being able to read. She couldn't help that she was stupid, her last home made sure she knew that. "m'not a baby." May and Phil chuckled a bit, "Alright well let's set a timer just in case" Once Skye put the ice on she closed her eyes as May began rubbing her hair gently. No one was ever that gentle, and it was so soothing. She hadn't even realized she began to suck her thumb slightly. A habit people scolded her for on multiple occasions, but she was so relaxed that she didn't care and these two people despite being way bigger than her didn't seem to care. It only took a few minutes before May noticed the girls breathing had slowed down and deepened. "Phil..." She whispered, "She's the one." he finished for her, May gave him and Skye an encouraging smile and gently placed the sleeping girl on the couch

"You don't want her, she's been in multiple homes and is 'unstable'" The Sister air-quoted that last part, "She was brought back just today after lashing out at her last homes Animal, she yells, and bites." Sister Ashley handed the couple a copy of the note, May skimmed through it and could instantly tell this was all a lie, that little girl was so scared and so sweet. There was one thing May always knew, she knew how to read people, she saw this girl needs help.. A good home... A Family. "Our minds are made up, so let's get the paperwork in order." May rushed the Sister. "Before we do this you have to know Mary-Sue's-" May quickly cut her off, "She prefers Skye." Sister Ashley sighed very heavily. "Well, legally her name is Mary-Sue-Poots. That being said you have to understand despite you taking the Russian, Mary has had multiple homes and has been sent back every time for her bad behavior. Her Anger and tantrums especially." Phil tried to hide his frustration and kept quiet, this sister was about to be chewed out. "Russian? Her name is Natasha- so let's be very very clear on that, and look at her now. She came here so scared and mad at everyone and she's not only an honor student in her School but she just got her black belt, and You know just as much as anyone how bad her past is. And this poor girl, she's just a baby that has obviously been neglected. So you're going to get that paperwork, and her file and we're going to be done." May had been very persistent, once upon a time before she left an organization along with her husband Phil she was a women to fear, despite the years of no longer being an 'Agent of SHIELD' she settled down, both her and Phil weren't allowed to be together or start a family within the ranks, so they sent in their resignations and went to become Doctors. It was a good line of work, you never had to look over your shoulder or expect someone to come at you with a gun. This is how their lives should've been a long time ago. Reading Skye's file was a Jaw Dropper for sure, there were some colorful words used to describe one 'Mary-Sue Poots' but there were few specifically that stood out.

Lashes Out  
Learning Disabilities  
Emotional Distress  
Disobedient  
Mentally Unstable

A few things May noticed was there seemed to be some missing files, this wasn't their first rodeo so they knew what to look for. "Your file has lists of incidents but there are no Incident Reports. You do realize Legally you're required to hand everything over to me?" May hinted to her annoyance. "Like I said, she literally just got back today. We have your address on record and we'll have Skye's social worker personally drop everything off tomorrow."

May was happy with her new life, Phil was happy. They had 3 great kids and soon to be 4. They knew Skye would be a perfect fit, especially after reading what she had just read, none of these really described the same scared little girl they had just met, not that a list of incidents without the reports really described anyone anyway, but that was all the more reason to get this Child somewhere safe. It was very clear they had something against the Child. May questioned herself if she should even mention this files- but the nuns probably would have made something up but she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"What exactly is with these files? None of this sounds like the little girl we had met." May harshly asked, the motherly figure already coming out in a need to protect. Sister Ashley sighed "Well- it's like it says right there, She's not all there. We've done all we could for the poor Girl but she's clearly the Devil's work." May and Phil's blood ran cold, anger surged through, they've given up on this kid, who was still just a baby who needed some love. Part of May couldn't wait to get the real reports tomorrow and see what else was made up.. She'd be making a few calls, that was for sure.

Skye woke up a few minutes later to the sound of a faint buzzing. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and opened them. She quickly realized where she was and Phil and May seemed to be gone. Her shoulder seemed to feel a little better at least but it still hurt enough that she felt like she may cry. Taking a deep breath Skye stood up slowly and reached for the door. She was very Hungry and she wasn't sure what time lunch was. Skye had desperately wished May and even Phil had stayed, today was such a bad day and she had felt better with them, she hadn't even realized she needed that nap since she was never allowed to nap during the day because that was something only Babies did. Despite that all she always had her blanket with her after a nap when she did have one so she made an extra effort to be quiet when she snuck in her room she shared and reached for the bag under the bed for her blanket. She carefully held it as she put the bag back under her bed and left the room before any of the bigger kids saw.

"Oh, we were just looking for you Skye!" May happily stated which made Skye turn around.

In a natural instinct Skye clutched her blanket as a lifeline, she didn't want it taken away from her she wasn't really sure she would be able to cope without it, it was more of a security blanket than anything and as silly as it sounded she felt safe with it, and she knew she could go for some safety right now. "Hi" Skye said as she perked up a bit, it was nice to see them still here, even Phil.

"Skye, Phil and I would like to ask you something."

Skye blinked a few times and furrowed her eye-brows.

"If you want to, we'd like to take you home to be a part of our Family." Phil gently stated.

It was a little surreal, they were giving her an option? She wasn't sure what to make of it to be honest, she really did feel safe with them. "Um.. Do you have any other kids?" Skye felt silly for asking, but usually when she joined a Family with kids they hurt her, badly. "We have 2 at Home and 1 at College. They were all in the Foster system, we have Bobbi who's studying to be a Doctor, Natasha who is a Jack of all Trades and Lance but we call him Hunter, he wants to be a Cop one day."

They didn't sound too bad actually, the were Orphans too. "Do you... Uh.. You don't have any Ami... Animals do you?" Skye asked in a shuttered breath that made May and Phil share a concerned look. "We don't. You don't like Animals?" Phil asked, Skye shook her head "'Specially not Doggies."

Phil and May shook it off for the time-being for a discussion that would be in a more suitable environment. They could see Skye contemplating her choice, it broke their heart that this little girl had to decide if this was a safe choice or not. "Yes. I'd like to live with you."

The two Adults grinned "Perfect, everything is all set so grab your things and we can leave." Skye nodded happily and ran into her room and grabbed her bag, as she walked out the front building she gave the run-down building a look and muttered a 'stupid building' before following May and Phil into the car. It only took the single instant of them gently putting her into the booster-seat, they had took from the Orphanage. They'd give it to the social worker tomorrow when she dropped off the remainder of Skye's files, and allowing her to keep her blanket with her did she decide this was already better. Maybe she finally made a good decision.

"So Skye, what are some things you like to do, or some things you don't like?" Phil asked as they began driving down the road, May was quietly talking on her Phone and Skye couldn't quite make out the words so she talked to Phil. "Um.." Skye began to think, what did she like? No one had ever asked her if she liked or disliked anything before.. "I like watching the Moon." Phil was intrigued a little by her answer, most kids liked TV or electronics or even Sports. He'd never really thought about the Moon being something someone enjoyed. "The Moon is pretty awesome isn't it? How come you like watching it?" Phil's voice was gentle, for the moment Skye felt like he could trust him. "The Moon is bright! I don't really like the dark." Skye shamelessly admitted. Even though May was on the phone still her and Phil shared a look, they were carefully trying to piece what Skye feared without her knowing. She wouldn't be the first one to have a fear of the dark in their Home. A distinct Natasha screaming for weeks in terror at the night still remained in their heads.

"We're about an hour away Skye, if you want to nap for a bit that's fine, I'll start Lunch as soon as we get Home." May's voice was so soothing, Skye hadn't even really realized how tired she still was. She muttered a quick 'Thank You' before her eyes closed. She was grateful, but she still needed to be careful. She'd be going in a new home soon, What if this home was broken into too? Skye couldn't stop the bad thoughts before her eyes shut completely.

Skye had been sleeping silently for a little while now. May and Phil had been casually talking about the young girl, and how scared she seemed. Especially with Phil, May had been on the Phone with Natasha, telling her they were in fact bringing someone home Today. It wasn't planned but it was an obvious sign, so she gave Natasha the heads up and to warn Hunter. Natasha was very excited to say the least on the Phone, she had always wanted a little sister and when her Parents were talking about it she was thrilled. Nervous too, but thrilled but she told Natasha to get the room ready ( it had only had a single bed set and some boxes ), Natasha was a quick worker, and Hunter had Zero sense in style.

May and Phil had been in mid conversation when they heard the small whimpers behind them in the backseat, Phil had kept his eyes on the road but May carefully turned her head to look over, Skye was awake and she had silent tears streaming down her face. "Skye? What's the matter?" May asked in a tone that didn't seem angry to Skye but concerned. In truth Skye had a bad dream about the Dog again. May and Phil had said they didn't have any Animals and that was nice, but she still couldn't feel worried that their Home would get broken into. "I'm sorry." She said between sobs, she felt like such a baby right now, even with her blanket. She felt like a baby, and stupid for upsetting May. "What are you sorry for Skye? You haven't done anything wrong, Did you have a bad dream?"

Skye wasn't sure what to say, so she nodded her head slightly, she was embarrassed. "You know if you talk about it they sometimes help. We won't make you of course but if you want too we're here for you." There she went again, she wasn't Mad and she didn't Yell. May was being so kind despite all of Skye's crying. Maybe if Skye told them about the House then they'd bring her back before she got too attached. "My Foster Home with the Bennet's b'fore the Jackson's died." May noticed how small her voice really was as she saw Skye's features shift. "It was raining and there was a crash and Mr. Bennet thought it might be a Window. But bad people broked in." Skye knew that didn't sound quite right, she knew she had trouble with words sometimes when she got a little too upset. It was a feature she didn't really like herself, but it was just something that had always stuck since that night. She remembered a Doctor saying it was from the Trauma... Whatever that meant. "Skye, listen to me." May sounded serious but she wasn't upset so Skye looked up. "Our Home, it's very safe, we'll show you how safe it is." Phil had pulled into a driveway and Skye hadn't even noticed they were done driving, she was still really nervous. Her stomach was starting to hurt, Phil hadn't said much and Skye thought maybe, just maybe he was upset with her crying. "We're Home." He said as they both got out of the car and helped Skye out of her seat, she made sure to hang on to her blanket as she followed May and Phil to the front of the house.

The House was Huge! It was painted a light Blue, with a small Garden in the front. The Yard had a pretty sizable fence around it. The House looked really... 'Homely' but they all usually did at first. The front door swung open pretty fast to reveal a Young Red-Head who was wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans. Skye pulled back slightly and hide behind May. "Natasha.. I know you're excited, but I said on the Phone to take it slow." May sounded a little annoyed but was still smiling. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait. I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm Natasha." The girl sat on the steps slowly so she knew the little girl had nothing to fear.


	2. Anxious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Hunter are overly excited to meet their new sibling- while Skye questions if this is another Family she won't fit into.

Anxious

AN: I am so amazed on all the positivity I've gotten for Chapter 1, and I cannot thank you guys and gals enough. I know where I want this Story to go which for me is usually a good thing- That being said a certain someone on the FF site has been given a small role. You know who you are, and you've quite possibly given me my biggest challenge ever, so I hope to do it justice... Now sit back, relax grab some popcorn or something and enjoy the show... I mean Chapter... Yes, enjoy the Chapter! (Also this Chapter itself was probably one of the most painful Chapters I've had to write... the feels)

And to put Age into perspective Bobbi is 25, Hunter is 17 and Natasha is 16, Skye of course is 7

**Warning- Chapter contains mentions of abuse, You have been warned.**

Natasha was smiling heavily when she got off the phone with her Mother. She knew they'd be getting a little Brother or Sister(Natasha wanted a sister) soon but she never thought Today. She only had about a little over an hour to get a few things for the room. "Hunter!" Natasha yelled down the Hall. "Hunter come here!" She tried again. A few seconds later her annoying Brother came in. "What do you want? We had a deal" Natasha sighed "Idiot, Mom is bringing home our new Baby Sister Today! And.. Since you're the only one who can drive you need to run a few errands. Mom said Dad's Emergency Credit Card is in the Hutch." Natasha explained very carefully. "We only have about an hour so while you get what we need I'm going to clean the room." Hunter was tempted to argue, why did this fall on him? He was excited about a Sister, sure but he wanted to lounge around today. "Fine, fine. Just tell me what to get."

"Just get a Bed-Set and a nightlight. for now anyway"

"We only need the essentials for now just to Spruce the place up.. The Bed Set and Nightlight are the most important Mom said. Oh right, she also said if you get anything you shouldn't, you're dead." Natasha grinned at that last part. "Fine.."

An hour wasn't a lot of time, and to be honest Natasha was pretty anxious to meet her new little Sister. The first thing to move in the room was the boxes. They were all Natasha and Bobbi's things that they had just collected over the years so Natasha carefully stacked them up in her room that was right down the hall. The next thing was to open the window and Dust.. It needed to be done pretty badly, the stagnant air was very apparent and was probably some kind of Health Hazard, which was odd since Mom and Dad were kind of Neat-Freaks. She'd never question it but it was always something she noticed, everything had a place.

Natasha was the kind of person who tuned almost everything out when she focused on something, so when she was cleaning the room up it felt like no time had passed when Hunter was yelling her name from the door-frame. "Ay, Natasha!" He yelled again and she snapped her body around as though she was almost in a fright. "Damn you Hunter don't sneak up on me like that!" Natasha snapped, oblivious to the fact he had been calling her name for minutes. "Are you having a laugh? You do this every time." He sighed in annoyance as he put the Light-Blue Bed set on the bland mattress. "Sorry.." She murmured as they began to put the finishing touches on the room.

"All done." Natasha grinned in her work, she was proud of herself in a little over an hour she had managed to make this room shine... So to speak anyway, but she was proud nonetheless and she was Happy about that. "Not a moment too soon either." A faint sound of a Car pulling up could be heard, They were about to meet their new sibling. Hunter didn't seem too phased but Natasha was nervous. Was the room good enough? Would she like Natasha? Her Mom didn't give much detail and was being unusually cryptic.. But her excitement got the better of her as it usually did and she ran out the door, Hunter couldn't even stop her. When Natasha ran out the door and saw the little girl pull herself into May she knew right away this Child has been a part of some things. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait. I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm Natasha" She slowly took a seat on the steps, she felt pretty bad about giving her new baby sister a scare already.

Skye was still holding her blanket which probably wasn't a good thing, Natasha seemed nice so she hoped the older girl didn't take it from her. She's done this before but she felt like she needed to do it one more time, she could be brave.. Skye took a step forward, "I'm Skye" she shyly stated. She didn't feel like she was in danger. Yet.

Natasha could see the girl struggling, her brown eyes were carefully watching her for any sign of Danger. Natasha knew that feeling all too well, one upon a time. "Hi Skye, I really love your blanket." Skye gave a shy smile, maybe they weren't so bad after all. "Is it a special blanket?" Skye nodded at the girl. "It keeps me safe." Well, sometimes it kept her safe. But she didn't want to share that part, but if she was being honest with herself just having the blanket around helped keep her mind off the pain on her arms. "Would you like to play Skye? We have a pretty big backyard. It's a little warm though, do you maybe have a T-shirt you can put on?" May asked, she did have T-shirts. They were too big and had holes in them but she was told to keep the long-sleeve on. Thinking about it now made her arms really hurt. "No thanks." She whispered.

Skye wasn't as dumb as everyone had told her she was, she knew that eventually that long-sleeve would have to come off. They'd find out eventually. So why did it really matter if it was Now or Tomorrow? The outcome would be the same, she'd be sent back to St. Agnes but maybe this time without anymore wounds. "Would you like to see your room Skye? Hunter and I worked really hard on it." Natasha asked and her expression seemed genuine. Skye nodded before asking "May can come?" She knew even though she knew May for a short time, there was this feeling that Skye could trust her, Phil and Hunter she wasn't so sure of, Natasha seemed nice though. "Of course." Natasha smiled as she reached her hand out, Skye carefully studied the red-head before she accepted the hand. These people didn't give off the same feeling as the last place had. The little girl was nervous if anything but she didn't feel scared. Skye would be lying if her nervousness wasn't amp'd up a bit though as Natasha led the girl into the home. That was always the worst part, but May and Phil had promised this house was safe, and once she led the girl into the Foyer room she was hit when a beautiful scent. The House not only looked amazing and huge! But it also smelled really good, it didn't smell like bad eggs or mold! That was a breath of fresh air alone for her.

Natasha gave the girl the Grand Tour of the Home, the Kitchen the Backyard and all of the little spots where her Mom and Dad leaves the 'Good Food' which in Natasha's eyes was obviously Junk Food. Leading upstairs into the hallway Skye was met with a number of doors, The one at the far end of the Hall had a sign that had a name on it.. Skye wasn't really sure what it said, but she thinks it might be Natasha's name. The other door was opened and Natasha had said that this was Skye room. Skye grinned at the room, it was awesome the bed was a light Blue set and there wasn't anything really girly about the room, Skye not only appreciated that fact but more so she actually got a room. Not a closet where she was told to sleep. Everyone noticed Skye's smile, the smile seemed to be pretty contagious. "Is this really for me? For real?" Skye asked seriously. "Of course it is, you're part of this Family now." Phil said. "I love it, Thank You!" The little girl excitedly stated as her Stomach rumbled which made her turn red. "And on that note, I think I'll start lunch. Lance come help your old Man would you?" Phil turned to his Son who gave a Mock Salute "Yes Sir- Supreme Overlord Dictator Sir!"

Phil wondered sometimes how he managed to help raise such a sarcastic kid...

And than there was 3.

"May? Can I ask you something?" Skye asked, debating if she should just tell her about her arms. Maybe if it was just May and maybe even Natasha even though Skye didn't really know either of them they wouldn't get mad. Boys were always the mean ones anyway. May took a seat on the bed where Skye and Natasha sat down. "Of course, you can ask anything." That made Skye feel a little better, she was either about to do something really stupid or something really... Well stupid, the little girl honestly saw no positive from this outcome but she knew they'd find out eventually anyway. "If I show you somethin' will you be mad at me?" Skye's voice seemed a little rattled, as though she had already expected a negative response. May and Natasha both raised a questionable eyebrow at the question. "Mad? Of course not, what do want to show me little one?" Skye swallowed the lump in her throat, figuring getting this over with was the best method anyway. Slowly but surely Skye pulled the sleeves up of her long-sleeve shirt to reveal clear as day long scratch marks and what looked liked some sharp teeth. May and even Natasha's jaw dropped at the sight, they remained silent and Skye started to panic. Some of the scratches seemed to be healing, but some look very fresh. May honestly couldn't tell if they'd scar but they looked like they hurt. She was pulled back to the moment when Natasha pulled the girl into a hug. Skye was crying.

"We're not mad Skye. Not at you.. Who did this?" May asked the crying girl. "s'Doggy did it" Skye knew that didn't sound right again. Someone hurt this little girl.. Her little girl. "A Dog did these?" Natasha asked.. She needed the confirmation herself, she was still holding the girl and felt the nod. "The last Home.. They made it bite me when I was bad."

Natasha could feel the little girl shutter at the thought, and May... Everything made sense now, why she was so scared and specifically asking if they had animals. It all clicked now. May had a call to make. "Oh malyutka you're safe now. Let's clean these up, how's that sound?" Skye tearfully nodded at the Young girl and May had felt a swell of pride in her Daughter.. Natasha knew the hardships of abuse, more than any child probably should. "Natasha will help you get cleaned up. I promise I'll make sure they can't hurt you or anyone else anymore, got it?" May tried to sound confident, but in reality she wanted to snap someones spine in half... She didn't do that anymore though... But maybe she could make an exception this one time.

May had watched her Daughter usher Skye to the Bathroom to help dress her wounds, honestly May wanted to be the one to help but Skye had seemed okay with Natasha and May knew she had to allow these things for the scared child. She needed to learn to trust her new Family. Taking out her phone and dialing the number to the Orphanage(The last place she had wanted to call) really set the tone. "I need the number for... Mary-Sue-Poots social worker... No, I honestly do not care if she is on her way to the airport... Listen here, before the Police are involved you won't give me her number, fine. But there's is something she needs to hear. Plus if she's leaving the Country you had lied to me, you specifically told me she would be here tomorrow... No, you tell her get here asap." With a force May had slammed her phone on the table. Phil was finishing lunch and was setting the table when he so his wife annoyed. "Melinda?"

The older Woman looked up... She forgot to count to 10 again... "We have a problem Phil."

To say he didn't take the news lightly was a bit of an understatement. He was disgusted... Not at Skye of course, but what had been done to Skye. This little girl probably believed that she deserved those marks. May was going to have to have a long talk with the girl later.

When Natasha had brought Skye downstairs May and Phil had instructed Hunter not to react at all. This little girl needed the reassurance that these marks didn't change how they felt about her. In all honesty though Skye was too absorbed into the smell of food, she still didn't know the time but it felt later in the day and this was her first meal today. Phil had made Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon bits. A personal favorite of Hunters. Plus what Seven year old didn't love Mac&Cheese? Skye smiled, her arms feeling much better now, and wrapped up looked up at Phil "Is that Bacon?" Hunter spoke before Phil could answer, "Yes Ma'am hope you like it." She smiled brightly, "I love Bacon." Skye emphasized the love part. "Darlin' you and me are going to get along just fine then!" Hunter proudly stated. Skye excitedly sat with the Family while they ate, she didn't particularly have anything to say in conversation, but she enjoyed the back and forth banter Hunter and Natasha seemed to have. It only took a few minutes for Skye to finish her bowl already, she had been taught to eat fast or it would be taken. Whether it was by a Boy at the Orphanage or a Home that would rather feed a Dog than her, it honestly didn't matter. "No, you're the one who broke my bike anyway, why would I let you take my new one.. You can drive!" Natasha spoke, her accent seemed to be slipping when she yelled sometimes and Skye thought she sounded a little funny. "Bollocks, I didn't break anything. I don't care what you or Clint say. You and your Boyfriend are liars love." Phil choked on his food, "What? Boyfriend! Tasha, No! No Boys! No No No!" Natasha blushed a little bit, her Dad was completely oblivious sometimes. "Phil..." May started, "Melinda, No. She's too young. She's practically a baby still." Natasha quickly cut her father off, "Dad, I'm almost 17 and Clint and I have been dating for 2 years."

This conversation was going nowhere.. Fast. "Please stop treating me like a baby."

Everyone seemed to pick up on Skye's smile and kept the whole act up... Well, Phil seemed serious and it's not like they were lying either, their Dad was just oblivious sometimes.

The sounds of laughter and... Arguing were cut off by a doorbell. "We'll continue this later." May stated as she got up and headed for the door. "Hello?" May said to the Woman who seemed to be holding a case of files. "Mrs. Coulson?" The Woman asked, "You are?" May questioned.

A Brief moment of silence ensued before the Woman spoke up, "Ah, where are my manners? Pardon I'm Shannon, Skye's Social Worker. I was on my way to the airport when I was told there was a slight Emergency."

"Please, come in. I have to apologize for my message sounding so rude."

"It's no bother, really. I care very much for Skye, the poor girl has Had a rough time, I thought she was with a different Family?" May sighed, "We have a lot to discuss."

"Skye there's someone here to see you." May called out to the little girl, when Skye looked up and away from the rest of the group eating she smiled. "Miss Shannon!" She jumped off the chair and ran right into the Woman and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you little one." Skye looked at the Social Worker and May was so surprised on how Skye was so quick to attach herself to the girl. "How are you Skye?" Skye glanced around the room and back at her wrapped up arms. "Better now, they're nice Miss Shannon!" Shannon looked down at Skye's arms that were wrapped up. "What's happened?"

Skye didn't know why Miss Shannon was here, but if she had to guess May must have called her. Maybe it's because Miss Shannon is super strong, she remembered the time Shannon told her about her Birth Mark on her right cheek, it was a long line that was really faded, it almost looked like a scratch itself even though she knew it wasn't, but it was there, there was no denying that. But Shannon had told her it was like armor to her, it helped craft her into the Woman she is today and that it was most of the reason she wanted to help people, it taught her that even though people looked at her differently than other people, she knew she was stronger from it, Maybe Skye could relate now?. "We just found out her last Home's Dog had attacked her, multiple times." Shannon looked sad. The poor Girl. "Right, I know the procedure... Bloody Hell, I'm sorry you all have to go through this, especially you little one." She gently moved a stray strand of hair out of Skye's face. " s'Okay." Skye shrugged, she didn't want anyone upset. "It's not okay Skye. My Job as a Social Worker is to make sure you're safe, I left England to come here to really make a difference, I fear I failed." Shannon sounded upset and Skye shook her head, "But it's not your fault! They told me not to tell during the checkup, they said the Doggy would hurt me... He did anyway though."

She didn't like thinking about it. "I should've known though. Mr. Mrs. Coulson leave the rest to me." Shannon said as she proceeded to move the files over the the adults, "Those people are Rubbish, and those are all the files they had. They didn't even need to me to bring them, they could've honestly just given them to you... This is why I work for this Orphanage you see, they can't be trusted, Just note these are all from her previous Social-Worker before I took her on."

May was so rude before she felt terrible. "I hate to ask, how old are you, you look incredibly young." Shannon smiled at the compliment. "25 actually, I moved here from England a few years ago to find Work. And it was 2 years ago I met this little one." Skye smiled, Shannon was one of the few adults she knew she could trust. "Miss Shannon?" The Young Woman smiled, "Yes love?" Skye stood up and nervously looked up. "Will you come visit again?"

Miss Shannon smiled again, "Of course. I'll need to check up at least Once a Month from now on for a while, I want to make sure your arms heal nicely too. Don't listen to what anyone says about those" Miss Shannon pointed to her wrapped up arms, "Wear them like armor, and be your awesome self, okay?"

Skye smiled once more, she could do that. She could be brave like Miss Shannon! " 'Kay " She mumbled. Deep down she knew she was safe, she was still really anxious about being in a new home but that was just her bodies trained reactions... Not that she knew that. "I'll see you soon Skye. Mr and Mrs. Coulson my number is on that front file, should you ever need me for anything." May and Phil nodded, "Thank you." May said, at a little more ease now that she had something to work with.

Miss Shannon had a lot of work to do, Before she left she needed to document the marks. Skye had let Miss Shannon carefully unwrap the bandages around her arms and she started taking pictures, Skye knew the routine herself... This wasn't the first time she'd been hurt at a Home, and whether or not it'd be the last time was still up for grabs. May and Phil both knew this alone would be evidence to make sure those monsters could never foster another child, and with a testimony of Skye and what they did, They'd be locked away for a long time. Skye had given Miss Shannon a quick hug before watching the older Lady leave. "I like her." May said as she closed the front door. "She's from England y'know May!" She just smiled, and Skye could Happily remember a time where her and Skye had Tea together.. And not just some silly pretend Tea-Party, an actual sit-down where Shannon had tried to show Skye how they did things in England. She liked that, Skye knew at the time she was just trying to take her mind off of past events but it was the gesture itself that really helped Skye bond with the older lady. Be whoever you want to be. Those words echoed throughout her head, Skye for the first time understood what someone was trying to tell her, She wasn't Mary-Sue-Poots, For the longest time she believed she was Skye, the person who got a Family killed, or Skye, the person who got hurt by adults. But here she was, taking small steps with people she had only just met hours ago... She was still scared, but that scared feeling was coming from the unexpected. Could she actually trust everyone here? May and Natasha seemed fine. It was Phil and Hunter she wasn't too sure about. "I could tell. Let's see if we can find your Brother and Sister."

Brother... And Sister? Those words sounded funny... "Brother and Sister." Skye whispered to herself. Phil grinned, Skye probably hadn't expected anyone to hear.


	3. Interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye is having a little trouble adjusting to her new home.

Interest

"Skye, come play on the swings with me!" Natasha beckoned the young girl over from the back door. Skye had looked up to May who was standing next to her. "Go ahead Skye, I'll be right in the Kitchen." Skye looked at Natasha and back to May. "If I go you'll still be here?" Skye questioned. May couldn't help but wonder what she had meant but she kept her calm "Of course I'll still be here, I'm not going anywhere." Skye nodded happily as she made her way to Natasha cautiously. "We have Swings and Monkey Bars, they don't really get used that much anymore so it's nice to have someone to play with." Skye wasn't really good with either, especially Monkey Bars. "I.. I don't know how to swing." The little girl sadly admitted, she thought a 7 Year Old should know how to swing by now, but she knew she wasn't smart enough to figure out something that should be so simple. "I'll teach you!"

May smiled that Skye seemed to be opening up and figured she'd take the little Daylight they had left to read what Miss Shannon left them, there were a lot of notes to go through and May needed to know just what this poor girl had gone through, taking the first document and carefully opened it her Jaw dropped.

'Five Year Old Mary-Sue-Poots was taken into protective custody, previous foster parents the Bennet's were brutally murdered in a Home Invasion, the Child was the only survivor, Mary-Sue-Poots since then has shown signs of Anger and lashing out at others as well as Emotional Distress'

May couldn't believe this, the girl seemed a little emotional and that seemed highly justified being sent from abusive home to abusive home. What May read next didn't make her feel any better.

'Mary-Sue-Poots has shown signs of learning disabilities due to Emotional Distress, Can't Read,Write.' Whoever wrote this seems to be with some kind of disability, there was no details... Just stating things to be fact. May wondered if this was even worth reading at this point, but she couldn't stop once she heard small laughter from outside.. May had to do anything and everything in her power to get to the bottom of being able to help this girl.

' Speech Problems/Childish acts' This didn't surprise May except the frown face attached to it. Skye was only 7! Her having Childish actions was normal. May noticed from earlier the Thumb-Sucking and the Blanket and her talking got worse when she was upset but to be honest those were just coping mechanisms she'd adapted to feel safe. Honestly May hardly saw any issue with any of these. "Mel? What are you doing?" Phil asked as he took a seat next to his beautiful wife. "Reading everything Miss Shannon left us while Natasha keeps Skye occupied." May sighed as she ran an annoyed hand through her hair. "Phil look at these." She moved the notes a bit so Phil could see them too. He skimmed through a few pages before he closed them. "This seems silly, she hasn't shown any of those signs." May agreed with her Husband, granted it wasn't time for Bed yet so they didn't know how she'd react to 'Night Terrors' but the previous Social Worker seemed like she couldn't care less about Skye.

"Pump your feet Skye!" Natasha cheered, "You got it malyutka! I told you you could do it!" Skye beamed, she was swinging... On her own! She couldn't believe she managed to actually learn something. Maybe everything people told her wasn't true, maybe she was smart? It only took about 45 minutes for Skye to figure out how to Pump her feet with the help of Natasha giving her a push to start. Once she got it down though she was kicking off all on her own. "I did it!" She proudly exclaimed as she hopped off the swing. "Natasha, what does that word mean? maluka?" Natasha chuckled, "malyutka" It means little one in Russian. If you don't like it..." Skye quickly cut her off, "I like it, it sounds so cool!"

All in All it took about 2 hours for read everything, and that was 2 long hours Skye seemed to bond with Natasha, May was proud at that, she knew the girl was taking steps and crossing personal boundaries she had created herself to remain safe, it was obvious the child wanted to bond with people, she was just scared. Phil had been kind enough to cook dinner, the obvious choice was Spaghetti, it was quick, simple.. And pretty universal too. May closed the book she'd been fixated on and put it in the top shelf and called the kids in. "May! I learned to swing!" Skye giggled, she was very proud of herself. "I see that, did you have fun with Natasha?" May wondered. Skye nodded, "She's the best!" Everyone grinned at that... They made the right choice with this little one. "It's time for dinner and than bed for you." Skye thought it was still early, the Sun was still sort of up... May noticed the confused look on the girls face, "Can you tell me the time?" May wondered again. Skye didn't say anything or make any movement so Natasha took the Que and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil along with an analog clock. "The little hand tells you the hour, and the big hand is the minutes. The red one is for seconds, and the little lines between the numbers tell the minutes so each big number is 5 minutes apart. Can you try and figure it out little one?" Natasha asked and looked over to her parents that gave her a reaffirming nod, this was the same way they taught her about time. Simplistic to the very end. Skye nodded and carefully picked the pencil up with her right hand, she was holding it in a very awkward position. "Skye? How come you're holding the pencil like that?" Phil asked as he began to put the pasta on plates. "Sister Maggy told me to, s-she say everyone need t'use their right hands." Skye could feel the frustration of tears starting to build up. "Do you normally use your left hand?" Skye silently nodded as she fought the urge to cry. "You can use whichever hand you want Skye, you're you. And you're never going back to that place, okay?" Skye tearfully looked up at May, Natasha and Phil. Neither one of them looked upset, it was the opposite in fact. " 'Kay. " She switched hands and looked at the clock... She learned to swing today, surely she could figure out the time... The Small Hand was in between the number 5 and 6 and the big hand was on the 6. "Is it... 5 1/2?" That sounded wrong and stupid. "You're close, very close. It is 5 and it's sort of half but that's not how we say it. If there's 60 minutes in an hour, do you know what half of 60 is?" Natasha took a seat next to Skye and the girl shook her head, embarrassed. "Let's count from 12 to 1 is 5 minutes, so count from 5's with me. 5-10-15..." Natasha paused to let Skye try and finish the rest. "20?" She questioned as she pointed to the 4 and Natasha nodded, "25?" she pointed at the 5, another nod. "5:30?" Everyone smiled again, "You just told time Skye!"

She did just tell time! She needed help but she figured it out. " I did it? " May nodded, "You sure did baby." Skye learned 2 things today? Today just kept getting better and better.

By the time Skye had.. Well, figured out time Phil had already had Dinner all set, she wasn't feeling so nervous now, Here she was in a short-sleeve shirt and no one said anything about her arms. "Hunter, dinner let's go!" May yelled down from the stairs, Skye took a seat next to Natasha, she really liked Natasha and she was trying very hard to not be bad so Natasha liked her too! Hunter ran down the stairs as Phil handed Skye a small plastic cup with what seemed like Apple Juice. She didn't have to Beg here, she was safe here. She was so safe, she could cry. But she'd already done so much of that today. "Thank You Phil." Skye kindly stated as everyone else took their seats, "No problem Kiddo, dig in." Skye was rather confused, they hadn't eaten yet. "May noticed the strange look, "You don't like Spaghetti?" She asked. "I'm supposed to wait." Had someone told her she wasn't allowed to eat her food until everyone else finished? May was a little annoyed. "Baby that's not a rule in this House. In this House we all eat together, as a Family." Why were they so kind? What had she done to deserve these people? Lunch was different because that was literally the first meal she had all day, but dinner was different... It was always different, she was conditioned for the most part for her meal to always be cold because she was forced to wait.. The stupid Dog had gotten a warm meal before she would get one, and that bothered her. "Oh, okay." was all she managed to say, her attention taken by the smell of a warm meal.

Just like Lunch, Skye had listened to Natasha and Hunter's arguing, but it wasn't in a mean way, it was entirely playful. She kept quiet while she tried to be as neat as possible with Spaghetti, but she was making a mess, not as messy as she would have been with her right hand, which was nice she was given permission to use the hand she was most comfortable with but a mess no less. "No, absolutely not, I'm spending my afternoon taking you and your boyfriend to the movies. Not happening Tasha, see if they can take you." Hunter pointed to May and Phil. "They're working." She stated as fact, but annoyed. Natasha rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Clint and I will just take an Uber or something." Skye wasn't sure what an Uber was but it sounded funny. "No, I'm off for a few days while Skye gets settled. I can drop you and Clint off at the mall and maybe we can get Skye some clothes?" May asked as she looked over to the little girl who was a mess. Skye was starting to feel a little tired and rubbed her eyes a little before shaking her head. "You don't need to get me things." It wasn't a lie either, her clothes didn't fit her but she didn't want people spending Money on her, especially when she might not be here long. "It's okay Skye, we want to buy you things." Hunter interjected in the conversation, "You should say yes, Mum and Dad never buy me things." Hunter winked, "That's because you're always causing trouble." Natasha finished with a devilish grin. Hunter rolled his eyes and focused back on his food. "Okay." Skye figured she wasn't going to win this, the reality was she knew she needed things but she didn't want them.. She wasn't sure that made sense in her head actually. "If you're all finished, Skye you need a bath and some sleep." May's voice was gentle and Skye really had no room to protest. As far as first days went this was by far the best one. Skye made a conscious decision to enjoy it while it lasted. Skye nodded tiredly and may stood up from her chair, "Come on then."

Skye was a little surprised when May had walked over to her chair and actually picked her up, the thought was nice but she knew she had made a mess, but May had raised 3 kids... She knew all kids seemed to make a mess with anything related to Pasta or Sauce, so she wasn't even bothered by it.

Hunter had waited for the bathroom door to close upstairs before he began talking, "I can't help but notice that she really doesn't seem to like me."

Natasha scoffed a 'Who does' comment before her Dad starting talking. "Listen kids, especially you Lance." Hunter knew when he was called by his first name his dad was usually pretty serious. Natasha had focused her attention too. "Skye has been through a lot, you saw her arms. She's not very attached to Men it seems, she's been abused the lady here earlier was her Social Worker. She brought some files over for us about Skye. I'm not going to lie to you kids, she seems pretty attached to your Mother and Tasha already. It's important not to treat her differently though, because she's not, she's a member of this Family now and we're all a Team." Phil finished as he watched both his kids intensively, Natasha probably understood better than Hunter did. "She's very tiny." Natasha commented, and it was true. While Skye was 7 she looked like she was perhaps on the verge of a 6 year old with the tendencies that probably came with it if today was any indication. "You're right, we know she's been neglected, She's very skittish and has some trouble with things. Everyone has their coping tendencies, Bobbi watched cartoons when she was upset, Hunter you liked to write about Soccer-" Hunter quickly cut him off "Football." Phil sighed, "Right, right.. Natasha you liked to draw... You still do- My point is she copes with her pain differently. She seems to like things Younger kids would enjoy more, and that's fine it's perfectly acceptable, just don't treat her any differently." Hunter and Natasha nodded, their Dad was right after all... Dads sort of had that feature, they always seemed right..

"You like bubbles right?" May asked, Skye wasn't entirely sure. She had never had bubbles in a bath before. "I dunno" Skye never really took baths, she was always the last one to get to use the Shower usually so it was always cold, so she never took baths... She took really quick showers. "I don't really take baths." May couldn't help but wonder why, but she was sure she knew the answer. "Do you prefer Showers? You can choose." Skye wasn't really sure, she didn't really care as long as it wasn't cold, and she always had trouble and got shampoo in her eyes all the time, that was never fun... "Will the Bath be cold?" Skye scrunched her face, " 'Cos I hated cold showers." May wasn't really sure what to take from that other than to be strong.. She could have her little meltdown later, she kept her expression full of love and concern, a strange feature that May seemed perfect at. " Of course not, we'd never make you take a bath or shower in cold water." That much was truth, how someone could condition a child to expect these things baffled her, she had seen her fair share of bad things with Phil when they were with SHIELD, but there was never something so bad as an abused child. That life was behind them now, even though Hunter kept talking about joining the Academy with Bobbi.. "Okay a bath sounds good. I always get Shampoo in my eyes." She admitted, Skye was never this trusting in a new home but she was laying down her cards one by one, slowly testing the waters and they have done nothing but care for the girl. May added in some Bubble Mix, not questioning where it had come from(She would've just used Shampoo) and let the Tub fill up, "Let's unwrap those bandages." May patiently waited for Skye to extend her arms out, and after a minute of contemplation she did, and May carefully unwrapped her arms. May went into the Cabinet and took out a blue ointment. "What's that for?" Skye asked curiously, it sort of looked like hair gel, she thought. "It will help with the Pain and Heal Faster, it's also Waterproof, so it won't burn in the Bath." May gently applied the cool gel on the few long scratch marks and the bite mark she had too. It felt funny Skye had to admit. May finished putting the Ointment on and turned the Water off, "I'll turn around so you can get in." May wanted to make sure Skye understood the concept of privacy, and that no matter what in this house, everyone deserved their privacy. May turned around once she heard the girl hop in.

It was nice, the warm water that is Skye still wasn't sure what to think, she was really tired now and May was very understanding. "Ready to wash your hair?" May asked and Skye sleepily nodded, "Put this over your face and tilt you head back." Skye wasn't sure why May wanted her to make a hand-towel on her face but she did as she was told, May had been good so far. Skye could feel May carefully rubbing the Shampoo in her hair, she was being very gentle and it was very soothing, she was also pleasantly surprised when she felt May rinse the shampoo out and the Towel had kept it out of her eyes. "Do you have any Pajama's with you?" Skye nodded, "They're too big and gots holes." May just smiled, adding some more things on the list for tomorrow. "It's okay, you play for a few minutes and I'll grab your PJ's." Skye nodded again, "Kay"

Skye's small bag of things really just that... Small, there was hardly any clothes here, there was a toothbrush and one set of Pajamas.. Was it time for her meltdown yet? No, not yet she still had a little girl in the Bath half awake.. Almost, she promised herself.

"Ready little one?" May began draining the water from the Bath and held out a big fluffy towel. Skye took the next step and climbed out of the Bath and into the Towel. May began drying her off, Skye was taken by the gesture. She felt... Wanted.. Loved? She wasn't sure what being loved felt like or even if you could love someone after a day but May was treating her like her own. "May?" Skye quietly called out while May helped her into her clothes and sat her back down to brush her hair. "Yes Skye?" May gently ran the brush through her hair, and she was so gentle and didn't tug at any of the knots. "Can I stay here for a while? I like it here." May stopped mid brush for a second before continuing. "Baby, you're staying here forever, okay?" Skye really wanted to believe her, really badly but somewhere in her mind was a part still yelling you can't trust them. " Kay " May finished brushing her hair and held Skye, "Let's go say good night to everyone." May led them back downstairs, Skye still held in her arms. Light... That's what May thought, Skye was very light. Phil, Hunter and Natasha seemed mid conversation and Skye felt a little nervous suddenly. "This one is off to bed and thought you would like to say goodnight to her." They all smiled, "Goodnight Kiddo, Sweet Dreams." Phil stayed in his seat, hoping at least Hunter understood the gesture to stay still. "Goodnight Skye, pleasant dreams yeah?" Hunter mock saluted. Natasha glared at the two noticing they didn't get up, "Goodnight malyutka have very sweet dreams." Skye again nodded very sleepily, uttering 'g'night' before her Thumb found its way to her mouth and she gently laid her head on May's Shoulder... She was absolutely exhausted, and big day like this would do that to a normal person. May took that Cue and headed back up the stairs into the room that was now labeled as Skye's. May laid the girl in the bed and handed her the blanket she held with her nearly all the time. "Thanks." Skye mumbled around her Thumb. "Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" May wondered, "Can you keep the light on?" Skye knew that was a babyish thing to ask but she hated the dark.. Almost as much as she hated Dogs. "May flicked a switch that illuminated the ceiling with the Night Sky, Stars and Moons that glowed different colors that casted a gentle light. "How's that?" Skye's eyes lit up briefly, "It's so cool." She said as she put her head on the pillow and tugged on her blanket. Her eyes got heavier and heavier by the second, she didn't even have time to ask May to read her a Story... Thought she was nervous she'd say no anyway, But May stayed for a while.. At least until Skye fell asleep, the deep and slowed breathing hat ensued was the indication May knew so well. Blanket in one hand, Thumb in her mouth with the other.. This kid was going to be some work, but that's okay that is how May wants it, she wouldn't trade it for anything. "Sweet dreams baby." May whispered as she closed the door, leaving it cracked just a bit and made her way down stairs..

AN: Pay attention to the Titles of the Chapters, they'll form something... Soon, that being said I really hope the Characters are starting to form some personality.. I'm trying to slowly get them there without pushing everything all at once, and for those wondering about Skye's second guessing herself constantly, keep in mind she's 7 in this Story who has been abused and conditioned to think things that have happened to her are Normal or Deserved, and it's very hard for people to break habits especially those that cause high stress or anxiety. Like I said before, I do believe in Happy Endings and we will get there... Together.


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye wakes up from yelling downstairs that managed to trigger some unpleasant memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Guys I know I usually have a little Witty comment in these announcements but I have nothing this time. I really want to take a second here and make a few things clear- Abuse is no Joke, and sadly in Today's Day and Age it's happening more and more, not just to Adults but to Children as well. It's very serious and I just want everyone on this site to know- I do not take it lightly. Emotional or Physical Abuse- None of it is Okay. It is a very serious issue... Alright no more sadness..?

 

  
May sighed and ran a hand through her hair, she was happy.. She was, but she was also upset. She never thought leaving SHIELD would be the easier choice she's made. Settling down and starting a family? Well, that sounded so incredibly simple on paper. Bobbi was pretty good, she had her moments when she was younger but for the most part that girl was always determined to show strength. That girl was a natural born leader. Hunter was a ripe pain.. From the moment he came into the home he was really sarcastic, it was almost one of the most frustrating things May ever dealt with... And she was in the line of fire... A lot. And then there was Natasha.. Good lord Natasha was the worst out of them all, a scared little Russian Girl who was so angry and terrified of the World it broke May's Heart. Slowly but surely Natasha calmed down, after Months of fits and breakdowns. When that girl was angry or upset... She showed it in full force, May was glad that part was behind them now. Now her little girl was much more calm, had a Boyfriend who wasn't a thug or anything of that nature, She's flying through School and is so close to her Black Belt too. May couldn't be more proud of their Children, but Skye... Skye seemed different, maybe it was because May never had kids that Young before.. Bobbi was the oldest, 13 when they brought her, and Natasha was only 10 when they took her in, so the age gap there was pretty apparent but that never stopped them from bonding. Hunter was 12 when he came from England, though that accent was slowly fading **.**

"Mel? You alright?" Phil sweetly asked as he began rubbing his exhausted Wife's Shoulders. She took a deep breath and relaxed her Muscles. "Yeah, long Day. Skye really seemed to attach herself to Natasha." May didn't even notice Natasha and Clint on the couch until she looked over, "Clint..." May called out annoyed, today wasn't over yet. "I know you told Natasha to consider joining the Academy.." May's tone was apparent yet threatening. "I only suggested it, so we could be together.. I leave tomorrow night so I wanted to take Natasha out, who knows when I'll get to see her again?" May wasn't mad at Clint.. Not really, she knew Natasha had thought about joining against their wishes. But May did her best alongside Phil to raise these kids to follow what they wanted. "Clint, you're a smart kid and I know how much this means but this is her choice and hers alone." May paused again, "What Operation did you get picked for?"

Clint paused, "Well... I aced my Combat and Weapons parts that was specifically designed for me with flying colors. Director Fury wanted me with him personally for training, Maybe within a year or 2 I can really help people."

Phil yelled, "No!" rather loudly, more loudly than he should've "Clinton we left that organization alive." Phil began to sound a little dramatic, Clint wasn't on Paper one of his kids but he had always treated him as such " But we left for the reason we couldn't be together, if you care about them more than my Daughter." He warned, "You got it all wrong, they lifted those years ago. I know Fury has been trying to contact you..."

Skye suddenly jumped up from a loud yell, she didn't know if they were mad yells or happy silly ones. But her sleepily state was telling her they weren't happy ones, She slowly got up and crept to the door that was cracked open and opened it a little more so she could listen. The yelling was letting tears fall down her face and she had began shaking. Skye listened very closely, it was funny how in her mind she was thinking the yelling was about her even if she didn't know if that was the case or not. "No Dad if I wanted to join the Academy I would. I mean you're always going off about how we should follow our Dreams! What if my Dream was to join SHIELD?" That sounded like Natasha yelling, and Skye wasn't sure what SHIELD was but she ran back over to her bed to grab her Blanket. "No, Mel are you seriously in agreement with her?" Phil was talking loudly but he wasn't exactly shouting. "Phil, I think you're being a little biased here, Bobbi is at Sci-Ops studying Medical..."

Meanwhile downstairs with little to no clue Skye was awake hearing the conversations, "Mel you know that's different, Bobbi would likely never be out in the Field, not like we were... Like She would be if she joined." May was starting to get a headache.. "Phil, that's her choice. If she wanted to join we couldn't stop her, or Hunter..." Phil growled out in frustration, not in anger, no. The thought of being back out in the field was frightening enough... Let alone his Daughter. "And Phil let's be clear, Who trains with her all the time?" May asked sternly, Phil sighed. "You." May chuckled, "Exactly Me. Honestly who's more capable of being an Agent if that's what she wanted?" His Wife had a point.. Again he brought these kids up to follow their Dreams, but that was in Hopes of doing something safe. "Natasha... Is this what you really want?" Her Father asked in a quieter toned voice. The girl shrugged, " I don't know... Maybe? I'd be lying if I said the thought hasn't crossed my mind. But School is almost over soon.. I don't know." She wasn't lying, she was conflicted. Her and Clint talked about it frequently. "I'm sorry for freaking out Tasha, I am. But being a part of SHIELD... It's dangerous out there, there are so many unknown variables and anything can happen. It scares me thinking about you joining." Phil admitted as he pulled his Daughter in for a hug. "I know Daddy but if I joined I could make a difference; you know.. Really help people like you guys helped me." The two broke free from the hug and Phil smiled. "I just care for you, the World is a scary place. And out there, with them it can... Well, it can be a little more than just 'bad day at the office' type situation."

"I'm sorry Dad." Natasha had lost her cool, she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because someone was telling her what she couldn't do.. She wasn't sure, but deep down she knew it was just her over-protective Father. "Clint, I'll see you tomorrow. I have some studying to do." She partly lied, I mean... She had studying she should be doing for her upcoming test but really she actually wanted to go to bed. Clint nodded "Right I'll see you in the Morning." Clint avoided the awkward glare from her Parents as he left. Natasha didn't say anything as she left the room and headed towards the stairs. "Phillip.. You know that was uncalled for."

As Natasha headed for her room she passed Skye's room and could hear muffled and almost near silent sniffles. She poked her head gently through the door to find Skye sitting in the corner with nothing but her blanket and her head down on her knee's that were pulled up, nothing but the small nightlight casting it's glare in the room. "Skye?" Natasha called out and the little girl looked up ever so slowly, when Natasha turned the light switch she was met with a little girl with red-rimmed eyes and a quivering lip. "Oh malyutka.. What's wrong?" Natasha's heart felt heavy at the sight. This little Girl was near Hysterical. "I heard screaming." Skye managed to say before she began crying, properly that is. The heaviness of her heart felt worse, she was part of the reason why Skye was in this state. "Oh Skye, I'm so sorry we scared you, those weren't angry yells." Natasha stayed still, when all she wanted to do was pull the girl into a hug. It didn't take but a minute for May to sneak her way in. "What happened?" She asked, Natasha could feel herself start to tear up "She heard us screaming Mom." Natasha noticed her accent slip, that just happened when she got angry or upset. "It's alright, Skye what's wrong baby?" May made her way over to Skye and reached her arms out, In her hysteria the girl lifted her arms up and May lifted her to her waist. "You're okay little one, tell me what happened." May said and started to whisper sweet reassurances to the girl. Did the yelling trigger something maybe? Whatever her Mom was whispering to Skye seemed to be working, her Hysterical crying slowly subsided to small sniffles, and small head nods. "Are you all better now?" Natasha heard that one. " M'Better " she put her head on May's Shoulder, she didn't know why she trusted May so much, maybe it was because of all the Bad Homes her body just craved love and attention, the little girl couldn't say. "I sorry" Skye scrunched her face up immediately. She was such a baby...Why could she never do anything right? "You have nothing to be sorry for Skye, Mom and I are the ones who are sorry." Natasha felt so guilty. "She's right Baby, now come on back to bed." She carefully carried the Girl back to her bed. Natasha picked up the girl's blanket and handed it to Skye. Skye slowly took the blanket, she sniffled and put her Thumb back in her mouth as May covered her back up, "Thank You." They both smiled sweetly, the little girl's eyes were closed as soon as her head hit the pillow.

After a half hour of reassuring to her Eldest Daughter, Natasha had decided to go to bed, granted she still felt horrible about upsetting her New Baby Sister, she laid in bed left to her thoughts of the night. Did she really want to join the Academy like Bobbi and Clint? Hunter had talked about it too, but no one could ever take him seriously enough.. Yeah she was Smart and knew how to fight, but Natasha never really wanted anything before. Well, that's not true- she never wanted anything for herself. Putting people before her was something she always had done, so when joining the Academy was always brought up she never knew what to do. "Maybe it's worth looking into..." She decided to herself as she closed her eyes.

"Really? He's sleeping out again? Mel I swear if it's with Izzy again-" Phil was abruptly cut off, "Phil you're doing it again. Listen I'm tired, Hunter is basically a grown up even though he acts like a Child..." May rolled her eyes, "Anyway.. He's a Big Boy and he's perfectly capable of making good decisions... Sometimes." She muttered that last part to herself. "Alright..." He surrendered, "Did Skye ever fall back asleep?" May shrugged, "She did after I calmed her down. I think we might need to have a talk with her tomorrow. She thought the yelling was about her." Phil rolled over on the bed to face his Wife. "She'll get there Babe, she just needs to know we won't do what they did.. Also reading that folder Miss Shannon gave you before Bed is just asking for trouble." She closed the folder. "I'm sorry, I just.. Every time I open it I read more bad things." Phil leaned over and kissed May "None of those matter anymore, she's going to get whatever she needs. Maybe when you take her shopping tomorrow you should get her something nice?" May chuckled at the use of 'You' and she gave him the look. "Sorry Mel, I love you but the first trip with Natasha was a nightmare. You remember the stuff she broke, No thanks. I'll stay right here and read some Cap stuff." May groaned in exhaustion, "Boys and your comic book stuff... I'm going to sleep now." Phil wanted to protest that both Bobbi and Natasha liked Comics. He wasn't really sure where he went wrong with Hunter on that subject but figured he must've secretly been an Alien. Because what kid didn't like Comic's? Phil closed his eyes too, he had a long day tomorrow and needed to Apologize to his Daughter properly.

It was a nice surprise actually when Skye awoke to the sounds of Bird Chirping. No Yelling, No Barking, no Babies crying. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. It wasn't until she finally opened her eyes did she remember her little... Moment last night. God she knew she was too old to be acting like a Baby.. But there she was freaking out over yelling.. But yelling at Skye at night had become a... Routine so to speak, anything to make the Girl feel worse about herself as it was already. She wasn't even sure if she was supposed to wait in her room like in other homes... Not that a closet could be classified as a room but the point still stood. Skye decided to take another leap against her better judgement.. In fear of snooping around, as the Mr. Jackson stated as she was caught once. She still wasn't sure what time it was, but the Sun was up. She stared at the Clock to try and figure it out... Just like Natasha had taught her, but a strange series of noises were coming from downstairs. She was nervousness and carefully clutched her blanket and made her way down the stairs. As she made her way further and further down the stairs the noise became louder and louder... She still wasn't sure what it was, and before she knew it she was at the entrance to the basement. The noise was loudest from there, and it was open. She once again made her way down the steps. Quietly... She wanted to investigate. Curiosity struck before fear.

What she saw was out of this World, May and Natasha.. They looked like they were fighting, but they were smiling, and really sweaty. "Keep your Guard up!" May instructed, The room was padded on the ground and they were wearing gloves. Skye tilted her head, what in the world were they doing? Natasha smiled as she switched her Stance and did a side-sweep that tossed May right on her back. "We have a spectator." The red-head stated as she reached her hand out for her Mother and helped pull her up. "Morning Baby, how long were you watching?" May wondered, "Not long. That was so cool! I didn't know if I was supposed to stay in my room... What was that?" Skye's Mouth hung open at the events. "Well, it's a lot of Martial Arts. To help protect yourself, and other people. Protect, never hurt." Skye didn't really understand Natasha's words, not the last part anyway. "I want to be Strong and Cool like you two!" Skye could almost imagine not being scared all the time.. Like right now, safe... "Well.. Maybe we can see about getting you in for some Self-Defense lessons." May proposed, it wouldn't be a terrible idea. Maybe even teach her herself? "Natasha, I think we're done for now. " The red-head nodded "There's everyone." Phil's voice echoed down the stairs. "Morning Skye, did you sleep good?" Phil asked gently, he didn't really want to ruin the good mood she seemed to be in. A quick nod and a grin on her face, "Yeah, I really liked the Star lights." She finished saying as her Stomach rumbled, quickly turning Red. "Someones Hungry, how about Phil and Natasha make some Chocolate Chip Pancakes?" Skye cocked her head in confusion.. Chocolate inside Pancakes didn't sound right. "You can put Chocolate in Pancakes?" The little girl sounded serious but Natasha couldn't help the small chuckle escape. "You can put a lot more than Chocolate. Come on malyutka.. You can help, but don't let Mom near the stove." Natasha leaned in to whisper in her ear, "She's a terrible cook." Skye giggled, she wasn't sure why.. Maybe it was the way Natasha said it, it didn't seem like in a mean way and when she looked back over to May she tried to hold back a chuckle. "Yeah yeah, I burn a Turkey once and I never get to live it down." Phil raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Once?" He asked jokingly.. "Fine.. Twice." Natasha was the next one to interject. "Try Three times... Anyway come on Skye."

Helping with the Pancakes was fun, Natasha would sneak Skye a few pieces of Chocolate and the little girl was very content. Skye stayed away from the stove, trying to refrain from an accident. Burns hurt, but sitting down and eating Warm Pancakes was like a Christmas Present. The first bite was almost heavenly, she never had anything like it. It was a little quiet without Hunter but she enjoyed being part of the conversation at the table about shopping, even though Skye really didn't want people to buy her things. "How do your arms feel Skye?" Skye was so wrapped up in the moment she hadn't even thought of them, They were still bandaged but they didn't hurt nearly as bad.. So whatever May gave her really helped. " S'Better." Maybe a small sting but on a scale of 1-10 she'd probably rate is a 5 compared to an 11 yesterday. After everyone finished breakfast it was time for them to get ready to go shopping, "Skye go get changed and I'll do your hair for you." Skye nodded at Natasha, it was almost like she was a completely different Girl from last night. Skye made her way upstairs, "Be good, you can be good. We gots to." She whispered to herself, it was her attempt to force herself to remember to not do Bad things... She could be good, right?

 


	5. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye talks about her past a bit with past abusers, and the return of a particular bad person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Poor Skye is so emotional, I'm so so so sorry for what you're all about to read.. The chapter sort of wrote itself.. Review? Or don't- just don't hate me! Read all the way to the end. I promise there's some fluff somewhere! As always, any mistakes are my own.

Hope

 

Warning- Mentions of Abuse/ Intimate Moment(Nothing Graphic, but it's there)

Breakfast was fun, Skye thought it was maybe a little weird Hunter wasn't there but she wasn't sure if that was a common thing, the hardest thing was for Skye to ask to bring her Blanket in the car. She feared May would say No, even though they haven't given her any reason to doubt or even question them. May and Natasha seemed nice, Phil was nice too but she knew she couldn't trust Boys. "May?" Skye called out as the older woman helped tie Skye's shoes. "Yes Skye?" Skye bit the bottom of her lip, questioning herself as usual. "Can I bring my Blanket with me?" May blinked in a slight confusion at the request, it was a strange request. But Skye couldn't remember the last time she was in a Car without it, and that thought scared her. "What do you need it for?" May questioned and Skye suddenly felt nervous. Natasha used the interaction to run upstairs, she knew what Skye needed it for. " 'Cos I need it." Her cheeks reddened and her eyes started to Water. She was a stupid cry-baby after all, or at least that's what everyone always called her. "That's not an answer baby. If you want to bring it in the car, that's fine. But at least tell me why you need it." May knelled down to eye-level to face the girl. "So i'm safe, keeps the bad Man away." Who was this bad man She spoke about? A life of abuse could mean anything really. "The Bad Man! From the House!" She stomped her foot down in anger, she hated talking about it.

Suddenly May's heart felt heavy, She read the file and Skye's very own explanation of what had happened, She was terrified that at any given moment they'd get her too. "Skye, listen baby. I know thinking about things that make you scared can also make you angry and sometimes it's easier to feel mad but those men, they're gone. They can't hurt you anymore." Skye's sudden anger dissipated faster than it formed and now she was crying, again. "You're safe Skye." Natasha came down the stairs saying as she handed the girl her blanket and gently lifted the girls head up and wiped the tears away from her face, Skye leaned into the touch. No one ever cared this much. "I'm sorry." She whispered in a shuttered breath. Sometimes Skye knew it was easier to be angry. She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't really help it. The Nuns had often called her 'disturbed' during one of her tantrums. 'Stupid Baby' is what ran through her head. "Malyutka you have nothing to be sorry about. I know it's easier to be angry, trust me. Sometimes it's easier, isn't it?" Skye sniffled and nodded at the words. "Sometimes I can't help it." She admitted, "What does it feel like when you're angry?" Skye tried to think, really hard. What did it feel like when she was angry? It was just a feeling, she was never really able to put it into words. "I uh.. My chest feels all funny and then it just.. Happens." Was it fear that drove her anger? It would make sense, fear itself often manifests to other emotions, their original trace routes usually link back to fear. She was very skittish, so there was an Element of fear there. "May...?" Skye quietly called out, If she was really safe then that meant she no longer had to abide by the rules of her previous family, right? Stupid rules set in place for a stupid girl. They had rules to make her life Hell, all while the stupid Dog was better taken care of.

Skye's voice seemed nervous, and despite how the girl just was and how she felt she couldn't help but respond(Not that she wouldn't) "What is it little one?" May's voice seemed so gentle and kind so Skye had hoped May wouldn't yell. "Can I take the bandages off?" It took a minute for May and Natasha to process the request itself, admittedly they were puzzled. "For what?" May asked curiously. " 'Cos they say keep it covered all the time, and I don'wanna anymore." Skye's voice sounded a bit more harsh than she intended, "Sorry." She mumbled

The entire ride May had noticed a Black SUV following them, for about 6 blocks before they got on the high-way. Coincidence maybe? May didn't seem to be threatened, how could she be? She had the eyes of a Hawk and the instincts of a Natural Born Predator. Pulling up to the mall parking lot, she seemed to lose the car. 'Paranoid' she thought. She remembered very distinctively how paranoid she had been with Natasha. "What time does your movie start Tasha?" May asked, "Uh.. About an hour or so, so I can hang with you guys and help pick out some clothes." Natasha loved Clothes shopping, she couldn't deny that. Skye resisted a smile that tried to force its way, Skye was also very fortunate May had allowed her to pick out clothes she liked! Nothing too girly, and Natasha couldn't help that this little girl had no care in the world for gender stereotypes. Even though Skye didn't want anything specifically she had chosen some Jeans, a few dark colored shirts with Super Heroes(Spider-Man exclusively) socks and underwear with a few pairs of leggings to go with a few things May had asked Skye if they were okay. The next stop were shoes, the whole time May and Natasha had kept Skye busy that she didn't even feel self conscious about her marks out in the open. The girl was having a legitimate good time. "Are the Blue ones Boy ones? 'Cos I really like those." May and Natasha resisted a chuckle, "Malyutka you can pick whatever you want, don't let the stereotype take control." Natasha proudly stated, "Huh?" Skye said confused. "Uh, nothing don't worry about it."

"Clint, this is my baby sister Skye" Skye grabbed onto Mays hand and Natasha whispered something to Clint that she couldn't hear. "Hi Skye, you having fun with Tasha?" Skye shyly nodded but didn't reply. He was new, and new people scared her... And he was a Boy, boys were always mean.

"Mary-Sue... What on Earth are you doing here?" Skye's eyes widened and her breath hitched at the voice. She knew that voice, she heard it yesterday before she heard laughing from the car as they sped away. It was Lars Jackson. "Who are you?" May asked defensively. The older man just smiled, "I was the caregiver for little poots over there." Skye had wanted to yell that that wasn't her name, but she was frozen in fear. No words came out. Natasha saw the girls face.. Petrified came to mind initially to the girl. "Her name is Skye." May felt a gentle tug on her arm. "Please can we leave?" Skye's eyes began to water, she was seconds away from crying. She was visibly shaking. The pieces were falling right into place. "Mary! Your Arm!? What have these monsters done to you!?" Lars yelled loudly enough to cause a small gathering of people. So this was his plan, May thought to herself. He was probably in the car that had followed them. "Your Doggie did it!" Skye muffled the courage to speak up, fully expecting a backhand or something of similar nature. May picked up the girl that was crying, she was having so much fun today too. "Bro you need to leave- like now." Clint sternly told the man. "Shh Skye, he can't hurt you." May cooed right through her own blistering anger, "How dare you hurt my baby sister like that!?" Natasha growled out, and when Natasha expressed Anger... Well may God help the person who was on the reciprocating end. "Stupid Girl, why don't you go play with your dolls?" Natasha laughed, he was asking for it.. He was also egging her on, she knew that. He wanted her to lash out, in an attempt to make it look like she'd wrongfully lashed out. Blame everything on them, Natasha was smart, she knew better. "Or what? Going to have your Dog attack me like it did a defenseless 7 year old?" She snapped in a bitterness anger even though not even a minute ago she had told herself this is what they wanted. "Hmm.. I don't know what you mean." The Man defended with a smirk. "Stay away from my Children." May growled out, as Skye continued to cry in her arms. May would happily break this man in half... If only. "Lady, you're the one attacking me, quite frankly I feel threatened right now." What in the world was with this guy? This was all just a sick game to him, to torture the poor girl even more. "Tasha, don't." He whispered, her fists were clenched in anger. She ignored him completely, her targets were set so to speak.

A crowd was properly forming now. "Ladies and Gentlemen! What you're seeing right now is this Family attacking me after taking notice of that child's arms." He pointed his finger at the crying girl. This situation was escalating fast.

Suddenly his motive made sense. To little and berate Skye on an emotional level instead of Physical.. Jesus, was this really what she had to live with? "You back up." Natasha snapped as Lars seemed to be approaching very slowly. "What? I'm just going to take the kid away so I can call the cops. I think you've put her through enough." God.. This man was deranged, Natasha felt sick to her stomach. And with his words, Skye had started to cry even harder. Last night seemed like nothing compared to this. "You're not taking my Baby from me." May's voice was calm but the threat was very clear. "This child is in danger!" Lars yelled as he shoved Natasha out of the way, on the ground. His hand was milliseconds away from grabbing the girl, May didn't even have time to react. She couldn't get violent, she wouldn't. His hand was caught mere inches from grabbing the girl. "You... You are not laying a hand on this Girl." It was Clint.. He had caught his hand. "Unhand me!" He demanded in a fierce rage. "You seemed to have miscalculated. This is our Mall. We know most of the people here, and they know they'd never hurt anyone. You've spouted your false claims for some sick game. You disgusting Animal." He was right, they knew most of the people here.. More or less, this wasn't some random Mall they picked. "You... You jerk!" Natasha yelled, her lip was bleeding. Probably when Lars shoved her to the ground. Blood wasn't an uncommon thing for Natasha, years in bad places in Russia will do that to you, and training had its fair share of accidents. May needed to take control of this situation.. And fast. "Natasha, take Skye." May ordered, Skye didn't even protest, deafened by her fear and her own crying. "Now.." She finished and Natasha walked back and took her little sister from her Mothers arms. She took a deep breath, she couldn't be emotional now. "Shh, you're okay Malyutka." She whispered to the girl as she rubbed her back for comfort... She couldn't tell if it was working or not. "You.." May said, "I know what you're trying to do." May paused eyeing the Man who had hurt this little girl. "You wanted a scene, you attack both my Daughters and you think this is all a game?" Clint tightened his grip on the man and twisted his arm in a weird way, he yelped out in pain. May knelled down as the Man was forced to buckle over. "Consider yourself lucky, in another life- You wouldn't be so fortunate on what's about to happen." Lars tried to mask his pain, "Is that a threat?" May tilted her head slightly at the question, "Not at all, in fact a threat is usually done by people who can't back up their words." May grabbed the arm Clint had twisted and snapped it in a peculiar angle. "I can guarantee you that I can in fact back up my words. If you ever, and I mean ever come near my kids again, You will regret it." May finished her 'threat' and released the Mans arm. "Now you better leave. Now." Whoa.. May was a total bad-ass. "Leave him be Clinton." May turned back around to face her 2 kids.

"Skye. Baby?" May's sudden tone had completely warped back to her old self at the crying girl. "Skye, I need you to breath. Deep breaths." May took the little girl back from Natasha and raised the girls head to her chest, right next to her heart. "Focus on my breathing. I need you to calm down." Her state was unsettling, She'd been hysteric for a few minutes now. If she didn't calm down she was likely to be sick... Or worse. Just like last night May was whispering sweet reassurances to the little girl. Natasha and Clint had helplessly stood back. But slowly Skye's breathing evened out, and deepened.. She was asleep, her fear and panic had driven her to an exhausted state. "We should probably go home." Natasha whispered as she looked around. Lars had probably left but she had an uneasy feeling still. "You're probably right. Let's go." Natasha nodded, "Clint you can come back to our house if you want." Partly feeling bad about missing their Movie. "I'll meet you there." He confirmed.

May carefully and gently put Skye in the booster seat in the car, She had no intention of returning it to St. Agnes after everything, and put the bags in the car, Skye wasn't even awake when May gave her her blanket, but the girl had gripped it for dear life in her slumber. Skye had slept the entire ride home. Poor Baby, the two thought.

Phil wasn't home yet, which seemed rather odd but May shrugged it off, a Nap after everything sounded good, She'd take advantage of Skye sleeping. "Tasha' it's fine that Clint comes over but just be quiet with whatever you two plan on doing." Natasha blushed.. "Mom..." Her voice cracked, she knew what her Mother was implying. "I'm not your father sweety, I'm also not oblivious, I think you forget what I did for a living. You're responsible and I'm sure your bother safe, which is fine. But you're not exactly quiet." Natasha didn't think she could turn any more red. "Oh my God." She emphasized every word. "Mommy, No. This is so not something we're talking about." A little innocent banter seemed good for them. "What?" May raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to talk about it." She covered her face embarrassed. "Anyway, just don't wake your sister." Natasha ran out the car door as soon as the car came to a complete stop. This conversation So wasn't happening, May carefully picked Skye up from her seat and decided to leave the bags in the car for now, and headed towards the front steps. As she made her way into the house and towards her own bedroom with Skye she admitted to herself.. Today was a long day.

May knew these kinds of affections weren't a good thing and could develop attachment issues, but right now this baby needed some affection, and comfort, and love. So May let the girl lay with her in the bed. For the moment this girl looked at peace, but she knew she'd have to address this issue. This little Girl needed help, maybe it was time to give Andrew a call. He did wonders with Natasha after all.

"No, She said she can hear us." Clint cocked his head at her. "Hear us what?" God she was going to have to spell this out, wasn't she? "Us.. Doing.. It." Oh... That's what she meant, "Well, she mentioned me specifically." The young red-heads face began to heat up, "Am I... Am I really that loud?" She asked, "I've never noticed." Clint shrugged, "Really? Mister Oh I can see and hear everything like a Hawk?" Natasha crossed her arms and huffed, "What can I say? I'm blinded by your perfection." He said as he leaned in for a passionate kiss. "We can't" She said as she slowly pulled away. "We can actually, come on I have to go soon and who knows when we'll get to have some fun. We can be super quiet. And by we I mean you." She playfully chuckled. The heat of the moment was kind of nice, in a blissful time of pure ecstasy she was able to forget about the events of today, even her lip. She gasped when he laid her on the bed.

May never really fell asleep, she was stuck in that graceful window of half and half, only moving when she felt Skye moving around, opening her eyes she saw Skye rubbing her own eyes. "Did you have a good nap?" May quietly asked, the girl looked up without moving her head off the pillow and nodded. "I'm sorry." May reached her hand over to Skye and moved the hair from her face. "Why are you sorry?" The girl still didn't realize it. This wasn't her fault, none of it is. "I acted like a baby." The girl looked back down in shame, "You were scared of him?" Skye nodded but kept her head down. "Has he... Has he done anything else bad?" She nodded again, "He hitted.. I mean Hit me, said I was stupid. Just like the Nuns." Skye really didn't want to cry again. "It's okay to be scared you know. But I think we might want to talk to someone about what's going on." The girl scrunched up her face and looked up to May. "A feeling Doctor?" May laughed, "Kind of. Now how about some lunch?" Lunch did sound good, "May?" Skye called out, "Yes Baby?" There she went again, that word that was always used as an insult.. Felt so warm, "Thanks for protecting me." Maybe she could trust them after all. "I'll always protect my kids." Skye wondered if this is what it was like to have a Mommy. Sure she lived with with Mr and Mrs Bennet but something just felt.. Different, she didn't feel like this after only a Day.

AN: Yeah... I sort of hate myself for the Anxiety...Panic...Mood Swings that Skye has... I also Really hate Lars, And I created the fool... All together the chapters form FAITH- a concept that doesn't exist for Skye. I can't thank the people who enjoy and Review enough, it really keeps me motivated. 

So.. Who saw Natasha and Clint happening? I know right, no one saw it coming at all. Golly. Seriously though, I depressed myself writing this I had to throw some fluff in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yeah... I sort of hate myself for the Anxiety...Panic...Mood Swings that Skye has... I also Really hate Lars, And I created the fool... All together the chapters form FAITH- a concept that doesn't exist for Skye. I can't thank the people who enjoy and Review enough, it really keeps me motivated. 
> 
> So.. Who saw Natasha and Clint happening? I know right, no one saw it coming at all. Golly. Seriously though, I depressed myself writing this I had to throw some fluff in.


	6. To Love Is To Trust, Faith a Must

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All copied over from my FF.net account. Working on making my permanent move to this site.
> 
> AN: This Chapter may be a little shorter, but I think we're a little overdue for some fluff. The end has a few answers to some questions. If you have any questions you'd like featured leave them in a Review, or a PM. I'll never say No to a Review, even if it's to tell me I suck. I can handle it, I'm a Trained Specialist After all. Any mistakes are my own
> 
> Warning- This Chapter contains mentions of Sexual Activity(As before nothing Graphic, but it's just there.)

"All I'm saying Phil is maybe we should just go see Andrew, and just talk." May wasn't usually the one to say those words, personally she hated any form of therapy. "You weren't there today. To say she was horrified was an understatement." May glanced over her shoulder to see Skye on the couch, watching cartoons. The little girl needed all the innocence she could muster up. "Is that really the right call? I mean, I'll back up any decision when it comes to the kids, you know that. But Andrew doesn't normally work with Younger kids." May put a hand on Phil's shoulder, "Yeah but he's the only one we can trust. I wanted to break that man today..." She admitted, The thought of someone hurting her kids made her blood boil. "I know, but you didn't. You stayed strong, for her.. For them. Mel, I love you." But before May could even say the words right back the front door had opened and closed. "Hello, I'm Home." Hunter presented himself. "Hello Princess." He looked over to Skye, she just giggled. "Did you have a good day today?" Skye shrugged. "One of those Days huh? Right, I'll leave you to your cartoons then." Hunter looked over to his parents. "Is Natasha home? I have a... Question regarding some oddly specific personal matters." He smirked, "She's upstairs with Clint." Phil nearly choked on his glass of Water. "Seriously Phil?" Skye looked back over, Hunter was funny and wasn't that bad. She didn't really see much of him, and maybe she liked that part the most, but really he seemed kind. "Let's go outside and play before your Bath Skye, we have a few minutes of daylight left." That sounded like fun to her. "Can Phil come too?" She questioned, "I'd love to." Breaking boundaries still, despite what happened today. "Let's go."

"Oi, Natashaaa." Hunter called out as he made his way up the stairs. "Bloody Hell, the amount of times this girl ignores me." In Hunters immature mind, he had thought maybe Natasha was talking to Clint, or just making out. Hunter was a stickler for making awkward situations. "I'll bloody show her." He whispered quietly as he opened the door. "Natasha I've called you like... Five... Times..." This was not something Hunter ever needed to see, he quickly covered his face.. Natasha shrieked. "Hunter!" He had barged into the room, with... Well, Some kind of intercourse was happening, and Hunter didn't think there was enough Bleach in the world to apply to his brain. Clint was nearly as shocked as she was. "Get.. Get out!" she yelled as she scrambled for her top. "Right.. Uh..Talk later then, yeah?" And he promptly closed the door behind him. Hunter didn't even want to know what they were doing... I mean, he knew what they were doing, but he didn't know what they were doing.. "Maybe I'll tell her later then."

"This why I need lock." Her accent was slipping. "Babe, take a breath." And she did, she wasn't Mad at Hunter, not really. She was more embarrassed than anything. Who wants to see your sibling topless while doing the 'kinky' stuff? "Sorry.." He cupped Natasha's cheek and pulled her into a kiss. "You know... Hunter likes to do things like that on purpose... Be a annoyance I mean, maybe we should be the annoying ones?" She wondered, "What are you proposing Natasha?" Clint raised a questionable eye-brow. "I mean.. I was trying to not be loud. What if I didn't?" Oh... Clint picked up on what she wanted fast. He grinned before he pulled her back into a deep passionate kiss. In retrospect this probably wasn't the best idea.

May and Phil were in the backyard with Skye tossing a small yellow ball around. Skye had a lot of trouble at first catching, but when Phil had suggested to use her left hand she had quickly started to pick up on the concept of catching. "You're getting so much better Skye!" Phil happily stated and Skye beamed over the praise. "Can we try farther?" Skye asked curiously and Phil nodded, "Of course." Phil began pacing back a few feet. "Ready?" Skye happily nodded, "Yup!" Phil had tossed the ball underhand towards Skye, maybe it was just pure luck, but the little girl had perfectly caught the ball. She jumped up and down, shouting "I did it, I really did it! May did you see me?!" May could instantly see the talent from this girl. You'd have to be blind not to see it. "I sure did baby. I think maybe we should find you some kind of Healthy activity to get you involved in." May paused for a moment and looked at Phil before looking back at Skye. "Any ideas?" Skye wondered. She never really thought about it, often told she was bad at everything and was nothing but a mistake or a hindrance always pushed the thoughts of doing things away. But today was proving a lot of things, These people genuinely cared for her, whether she deserved that or not was up in the air still. But she was taken back to May and Natasha fighting. "Um... The thing you and Natasha were doing this morning, I forgot the name." Skye quietly said the last part. She forgot things often. "Martial Arts?" Skye nodded, "Yeah that. Does that hurt to do?" The girl often wondered about such things. Pain wasn't a foreign concept to the girl... But that didn't mean she liked it. "Well, anything in life can sometimes hurt. The important thing to remember is try your best, accidents happen- and if want to learn about Self Defense then there's a Kids Class where Natasha goes. How about Tomorrow night we go check it out?" That was a scary thought. Older Kids and even little kids. "We can just watch Natasha if you'd like." That sounded fine, "'Kay" The girl tried to stifle a yawn. May took the Cue "Bath time and Bed."

"Oh My God." Natasha squealed as she put her phone down, Clint grinned like no other. "Yeah, I am that good." The red head scoffed "No idiot Bobbi just texted me. She's in town, like now. She came to surprise everyone." Clint blinked, wasn't Bobbi at the Academy? "I didn't think she'd get any free time." Well, that made sense since she switched to the Academy. Regular College wasn't doing it, and she basically had grown up, much like Hunter and Natasha that everyone's lives mattered so joining SHIELD Academy felt right. "Well, she'll be here in the Morning, besides you have like an hour to leave." 60 Minutes? "So we still have time-" Natasha cut the man off, "You're a pig Clinton, you're going to SHIELD, not War." The Man just shrugged, can't blame the Man for trying, "Besides Skye will be going to bed soon." At the request of her Mother Natasha had stayed up stairs most of the Day. She figured Skye needed some Mommy/Daughter time, even if Skye didn't see it that way yet.

Skye had finished her bath with little to no problems, and brushing her teeth was relevantly simple. She was actually looking forward to any kind of bonding she could get with May. The Hard part was Bedtime, Phil was in there tonight with May and that felt nice, Skye had crawled into the bed as May turned on her night-light. "Can you tell me a Story?" She requested, blanket in one hand, her Thumb had slowly crept its way to her Mouth.. Skye loved stories, the problem was no one ever read them to her at the Orphanage and she couldn't really read that well. "Of course. You know Phil has some great stories about Captain America. That's his favorite Super-Hero." May whispered that last part. "Who's Captain America?" Skye wondered, She knew of Spider-Man and she liked him. May chuckled and Phil took a seat next to the bed. "He's the Best Super-Hero ever, Captain America was the one who defeated The Red Skull, a evil bad guy." Phil had probably told the stories a million times but each time he told it felt like the first. "Once Upon a Time long ago Bad guys were out on a mission. They wanted to take the good guys out, One Special Scientist developed a special Medicine to make a Man Strong, a Hero that protects people." Skye was instantly fascinated with the story. "Like Spider-Man!" She giggled. "Exactly like Spider-Man. Anyway-" Phil trailed off in his story as he watched the girls eyes slowly droop.

10 Minutes hadn't even passed before she fell asleep.

"Sweet Dreams Skye." Phil gently whispered, "Goodnight Baby."

"Little late for Wine isn't it Mom?" May was caught off guard when Natasha and Clint came down the stairs. May shrugged, "it's only... 8 o'clock. Besides today has been a long day." May wasn't usually a drinker, the occasional glass of Wine every now and then. "Clint has to finish packing." It was a sad thing to admit, and frankly she hated saying goodbye. Not that it was a forever goodbye, but that didn't mean it didn't suck any less. "Clinton, safe trip. Don't be too much of a pain in the ass, alright?" Phil pulled Clint in for a hug. May pulled him in for one too as soon as Phil let him go. "Stay sharp kid, You've got one hell of an eye, be proud of that skill." Clint nodded, "Yes Ma'am." This was one of those awkward moments Natasha had where she had to decide if one final kiss goodbye was appropriate, ultimately she said screw it and pulled Clint into a kiss. It wasn't a heated kiss, no. It was a different type. It was the kind of kiss that sent chills through your body- as though the Universe was telling you that everything in this moment, was just right. "Call me.. I'm serious Clint." A laugh escaped his lips, "Don't worry Babe. I really do have to go though. I'm a little behind my Schedule."

Watching Clint leave was still tough. That part didn't settle right, even among... Physical Activity they had done a fair share of talking. Mainly about their plans for the future and such. Her consideration for the Academy was slowly rising in her mind.

Hunter had made his way down the stairs with a ... Rather Cheeky Grin, "Thank God he left. I like Barton and all but God Damn you two go at it like Rabbits." May nearly choked on her Wine as she gave Hunter a pissed off glare. Natasha had turned a beet red. May looked over at Phil and couldn't make out his expression, which was unsettling considering that used to be her life. "Before you yell Phil, just remember Skye is sleeping and we don't need another incident." His tone died down a bit before it even started at her words. She was right, Skye didn't need to think him yelling was a normal occurrence.. "Hunter... You.. I can't believe you right now." She cautiously eyed her Dad who at this point grabbed May's glass and downed the thing. Phil wasn't ready for this... "Explain yourself." His voice was stern and quite but still held the sharpness in the air. "How do you think Hunter found out?" She glared at her brother. "He" She raised her finger at Hunter, "Barged in my room without knock." Her accent was slipping again. "He saw me." Natasha took a deep breath, and released it. "Mom knew about me and Clint. Oh yeah and since we're tattling on people here, he also saw me Naked." Well, this took a complete 180 on Hunter didnt it? "Thankfully I didn't see anything, and what I did see I've properly repressed it."

Everyone could tell Phil wanted to yell, not yell yell but... Loudly talk.. "Lance how many times have we said Privacy is important? And you.. Natasha you're still a baby. You can't be... Mel help me out here." Phil desperately requested to his Wife. "She's a big girl." Was all May said, "Maybe it's time we have The Talk..." Natasha shook her head, "We've already had it. Daddy come on, I'm be 17 in 3 Days.." He glared at his Daughter, unsure whether he was supposed to keep calm. "Don't you 'Daddy' me. You're too Young for this!" He exclaimed. It wasn't ideal but it was after all 100 percent consensual. "I don't like this, not one bit. Mel, how are you okay with this?" May raised her eye-brow in a daze. "We can't control her Sex life. We've raised our kids to make responsible choices." May paused in her words as she turned toward Natasha, "Just tell me you used.. Protection."

"Why are we having this conversation? Oh. My. God." At this point Natasha's face must have matched her hair. "Yes, are you happy now? We... We were safe."

Phil half sighed half cheered, none of this ideal but at least he was raising his kids... Somewhat properly.

"Ahem. On a totally unrelated note now that the heat has been properly attached to Natasha, I Lance Hunter Coulson am joining SHIELD." The room really quieted down and silence quickly ensued. You could almost cut the tension with a knife. "On that note, I'm going to bed." Natasha quickly darted for the stairs.

"Sit...Down... Now." The two growled at Hunter

Skye woke up with a Jolt, again. This time it was a bad dream and not screaming. Her little lamp was still casting it's glow across the room and she was breathing very Heavily. All she remembered was the Dog chasing her, but her cries for help were left unheard. As though she didn't exist. Skye really wanted May and tears were streaming down her face now. She wasn't crying per say but she was really close. She stood up and grabbed her blanket and made her way to the door. Each step made her heart rate increase. What if the Dog was in the House? May had told her she could come find her at any time, but the House was really Dark and Natasha's room was much closer. The choice was obvious, She carefully reached for the doorknob and twisted the handle. She had hoped Natasha wouldn't be mad for coming in her room. It was Dark in there too and Skye could only barely make out a red-head with messy hair sleeping soundly. "Tasha?" She quietly called out. But she didn't answer. "Tasha are you awake?" She was close to crying now, "Skye?" The girl mumbled out. "What's wrong." Skye felt bad now, she shouldn't have woken Natasha up. "I'm sorry! I had a bad dream." It was only when Natasha flicked her light on the nightstand on did she see the tears pouring down Skye's face. "Oh Malyutka It's okay." It absolutely was not okay! Skye hated that she was a 'Stupid Cry-Baby' "I woked you up, I'm sorry." The Red-head could feel her Heart Shatter. "Skye, I don't mind. I want you to come find me or Mommy or Daddy.. Even Hunter if you need us. We will never turn you away, want to talk about it?" Skye thought about that, she was still only half awake with her chest still pounding like drums. "S'bout the Doggie He chased me." Oh this poor baby. Natasha just wanted to bundle her up. "That Doggie cannot get you anymore, Now.. Would you like to sleep with me? I can help keep the bad dreams away." Skye had thought maybe she was too old, but here she was crying like a toddler anyway, but she felt safe when she took a nap with May. She found herself nodding without realizing and climbed into the bed when Natasha had made room for her. "All better now?" Skye nodded again, her Thumb had found its way to her Mouth again as she began to calm down and cuddled closer to her sister... Sister. Skye smiled at the thought, This was Her Sister. "I love you Tasha." She said around her Thumb. Perhaps it was a little early to be throwing the 'L' bomb, but it felt so natural. "I love you too Maluytka, sweet dreams."

AN: I don't know if people like small Q&A's I figured it was a good thought to feature people who follow the story. I'll try and keep them brief if I get enough Questions I'll try and make Each Chapter with at least 2.  
Also- I want to mention, I'm trying to band everyone together to get SHIELD Renewed for its 5th Season. If you have any SHIELD collectibles or some words on what the show means to you, send them to me here or my twitter- PrinceMikeVG . I'm working on a big collaboration video.

Q-'Where do you see the Story heading?'  
A- Interesting question, ultimately I'd like to break Skye out her fearful Habits, as for the 'Story' itself, I guess at this point everyone knows SHIELD in my Universe exists but not on the same scale as the Main Universe, there's some massive similarities but mainly my difference is, it's all 'Real' so to speak, and you'll all find out eventually- however We see the Idea of SHIELD floating around with Natasha, and Hunter's sudden leap. I know How I want the Story to end to set-up for a Sequel that hasn't been done(that I could find) with a Kid!Skye Fic, getting there is a process.

Q-'Where do you get your inspiration?'  
A- Well, I guess that's a common question for people who make some kind of 'Content' And I've made so many friends on FF around the globe more or less who are great with ideas and suggestions. It's one of the reasons I try and push our Community together, Here or Twitter. We're a Family, so.. Fans of SHIELD or in general who share the same interests are my Inspirations so to speak. (Too sappy?)


	7. Never Strike Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know the feels are real right now. And Yes I know Skye's emotions are everywhere. In her mindset she's still questioning everything. Hopefully this Chapter does some justice with the emotional issues and her healing process, I've had part of this Chapter written out for... A month now.
> 
> As Usual- Any Mistakes Are My Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All copied over from my FF account, slowly catching up on this side and writing the remaining last few chapters.

Never Strike Twice

 

"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" Lars asked, at some point after yesterdays Incident at the Mall- some Men in suits had took him in for 'Questioning'. "That depends entirely on your cooperation, it's not every day you get the attention of SHIELD." A Man wearing a ragged suit that looked completely worn out with their Hair messy stated. "Listen, I'm a reasonable guy. And i'm going to be honest with you- Someone made a call to us last night specifically about you abusing a Young Girl. Care to elaborate?"

Lars thought this was rather odd, SHIELD... This seemed really out of place. "I want my lawyer." He presented his words with a smug grin. The Man took out a device and replayed a video clip. He was causing an intentional scene, and even just holding the device the Man seemed... Angry almost. "Let me be perfectly clear.. You have no rights you-" The Man was interrupted when someone entered into the interrogation room. "Cal, we just searched his House, there were traces of Blood and his Dog attacked one of our Officers. We were forced to put him down." Cal stopped in his tracks. "Thanks John.. You hear that Lars. Now Tell me, Where.. Is.. The.. Girl..?" Cal asked slowly each word came along with a set of steps closer to the Man until he had his hands around Lars' neck. "I won't tell you... Why.. Why do you care so badly?" Cal slowly released his grip, as if he was contemplating his next action. "Dead Men don't need to know." He whispered as Lars felt a sharp sting in his thigh. "Let's just say that's a little... Concoction I brewed up, In about 24 more seconds your Motor skills will cease, making you unable to cry out. About a Minute and 36 seconds after that your heart will stop, all while making your death look like a stress induced Heart Attack."

"You-You Ca-" As if on Cue his words were cut off, unable to scream. It was exactly as he said. This was completely unorthodox. "Oh that's right. My name is Cal Johnson... But you.. Not that it matters now, You can call me Hyde."

As per May's usual morning routine, she was generally the first person awake. Natasha was up a little later for their Morning Workout, May would carefully get up from the Bed not to wake Phil but it seemed like he was up already until she checked her Phone. It was a lovely text from Phil which struck as rather odd until she started reading- 'Mel there was an Emergency at the Hospital last night and was called in. I told them you weren't on call currently. I didn't want to wake you, I'll see you in a few hours.' Phil was such a sweetheart when he needed to be, so she got up and went to check on Skye. That was the first order of Business. What wasn't expected was May to find an empty room. Skye's nightlight was still casting its shadow in the room and her bed wasn't made. May wondered where Skye could have gone. Before she allowed Panic to settle in she heard a door close, she glanced over to the sound and found Natasha, "Skye's in my bed." Alright, maybe Panic did settle fast because May had felt instantly better. "She had a Bad Dream and I guess found me." Natasha explained, "She was really scared, said it was the Dog." May couldn't help but wonder why the Universe was so set on making a 7 year old's life miserable. "Thanks for taking care of her baby, I wish she had came to me. I think I'm going to give Dr. Garner a call." Natasha nodded, yes she remembered Dr. Garner very well. In-fact she distinctively remembered throwing a Vase at him in anger. "I wanted to talk to her about School."

That's right, Natasha noticed her Mother hasn't really mentioned School. "Her reports from Miss Shannon said she hasn't had the best time." May explained as they both made their way down the stairs "Skye wouldn't tell us directly but her notes say she can't read well." Natasha thought back to a time were she was scared in a new place with no way of communication- unable to read. Look where she was now though.

"Remember where I was Momma, Skye will get there with our help. Besides last night when she came to find me... She said she loved me." Those words meant more to Natasha than it should've. But it just showed Skye's progress already. May just grinned, "She is pretty awesome. Now let's start our morning."

The sensation of waking up was a little surreal for Skye when she slowly opened her eyes. She wasn't in her room. As consciousness began to take over it hit her, she had a bad dream and wanted May but ended up waking Natasha up. The Sun was up and Natasha was gone. Maybe she made Natasha angry? Skye's heart felt sad at the thought but it was a possibility even if she said it was alright. Usually when Skye would wake someone up she was usually corrected. Sometimes in shouts, sometimes in hits. It varied House to House. She carefully grabbed her Blanket as though it would shatter into pieces if it was held wrong and made her way out of the room and down the stairs- still fully dressed in her PJ's. "You need to stop drinking so much Coffee Tash, try some Tea." Skye heard May's voice as she made her descend down the stairs. "No thanks, Coffee is the way of life." That was Natasha and she most certainly did not sound mad. "Morning Sleepy' Head." Natasha looked and saw the girl standing at the entrance of the Kitchen. Her hair was an obvious mess. "Mornin'" She mumbled.

No one was angry... Skye wasn't sure why she kept expecting it, Aside from loud talking no one really yelled here. And Skye grew up with all forms of yelling, she knew the differences. "Did you sleep good baby? Tasha told me about last night." Skye frowned at the words, "But- Don't be afraid to come find me." Skye felt better. She was nervous about getting May, she remembered she thought the Dog could've possibly been in the House so Natasha was way closer. "m'Kay." Skye was still taking in the sweet words when May hoisted her up to her hip. Skye had wrapped her arms around May's neck and laid her head on her shoulder.

She was Safe. No one would Hurt her here. Safe..Safe...She was Safe. Every time she said the word in her head she felt like she herself was changing. For years when someone said she was worthless, she'd tell herself that. When someone said she was good for nothing.. She told herself that. When someone told her she was this worlds biggest mistake... She told herself that, Stupid,Dumb,Challenged- Words used so frequently in Skye's Day-To-Day life that made her believe all these things.

3 Days here and she was already passing boundaries she had put in place for herself. She learned to Tell Time(Sort of) She learned to Catch, and Swing. This was a Family. "May?" Skye quietly called out. "Yes little one?"

"I wanna' learn to read. I wanna' be Smart like you and Tasha'."

"Baby you are smart, and we've got plenty of kid books somewhere. Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast and after that we can work on some reading exercises." May smiled and kissed the top of Skye's messy head.

"m'not. M'stupid." She mumbled as she looked down. As though she was looking away in Shame. "Baby, look at me." Skye slowly looked back up, expecting an angry face or an expression that closely resembled that, but no. She was met with a genuine smile from both May and Natasha. "I want you to listen very carefully baby, okay?" Skye nodded, She could listen. She would try very hard. "You.. You don't realize your own potential. You are so smart, and beautiful. I know you've been to bad places and that's over. You weren't taught the skills you needed and we're going to fix that. In fact tomorrow we're going to get you signed up for School. But right now, in this very moment and for every moment to come I want you to know how special you are Skye."

Skye took in a deep breath and tried to take in all of Mays words. For a second Skye thought she might cry. The kindness was... Overwhelming to say the least. "You're the best Foster Mommy I ever had." Skye immediately turned Red and almost... For a second Fearful at the words that actually... Felt so Natural to say. The words felt so right, but so wrong at the same time. "I'm sorry!" She quickly corrected. "Baby, you don't need to be sorry- I'm not mad you called me that."

"You're not?"

"Not at all. I Promise."

Skye smiled for a moment. "I think.. I think that I believe you." And that wasn't a lie, Skye had this feeling in her Belly that she never felt before. It was something that she thought was maybe Love? She wasn't really sure but it did make her happy.

"You're an Animal Johnson. Seriously, what did you get out of doing that?" John asked, his tone hinted towards annoyance. "I spent all those years-" Cal was interrupted swiftly "Looking for your Long Lost Daughter, I know, I know. But Come off it Cal, We could've used him and you know it. You just couldn't resist the urge, you've been off your Meds haven't you?" John snapped. John knew all about Cal's little... Split Personality, Dr. Hyde, John chuckled at the absurdity of the name.

He wasn't wrong.

"You're right.. I only joined this stupid Organization because the great John Garrett offered me the chance to find my Baby Girl. And I took it for that reason only. Now I'm closer than ever to finding her and I find." Cal started making weird hand gestures, "A savage hurting her. Taunting her. Degrading her.. Nonono, His life was over before he even knew it." Cal's eye twitched briefly as he finished his words, and he began pacing back and forth. "Daisy... My sweet Daisy... Daddy will find you."

After breakfast May had kept her word and found some old books. Alone time was very much needed and Skye and May were sitting on the couch, specifically Skye was cuddled up to May, alone, enjoying the quietness that consumed the House other than their reading. Hunter and Natasha had left for School already so it was just them. "Remember, take your time." May opened the first book. 'Green Eggs and Ham' It was a children's classic after all. Skye was a little nervous at first when May opened the book and held it for her, people yelled at her a lot. Sometimes Teachers just had an angry face. The nuns always yelled though. Skye slowly and carefully sounded out her words, she thought she was doing a good job and May even helped sound some of the tougher words. The book took a little longer than she expected but she was doing it. Albeit May was helping but May was so patient and helpful. Every line Skye got a little more enthusiastic that she was nearing the end.

"I do so l-like, Green eggs a-and h-ham! T-Th-Tha-Thank you, Thank you, S-Sa-Sam I am!" Skye giggled like no other.

"You did such an amazing job Baby!" May praised her Daughter.

"Thank you, Thank you! You taught me to read! Thank you May!" Skye didn't really get it, May actually did very little. With the proper praising and encouragement that didn't end in negative reactions the Girl did it more or less on her own. May couldn't be anymore Proud.

Meanwhile with Skye jumping up and down and throwing the occasional Fist-Bump to the air in Victory all she wanted to do was yell 'Mommy' Because this is what a Mommy did, right? Skye still wasn't 100% if it was time to call May that. May couldn't help but watch her little girl jump in joy. Obviously Skye needed more practice, but she did it. She fought her fears and overcame another obstacle, and doing so May watched as Skye shed her Childish side aside, so to speak. She was acting how a 7 Year Old should act, She wasn't crying or clinging or having difficulties speaking.

"How come Tasha isn't with us?" Skye asked curiously from the back-seat. May took the rare opportunity to... Well let's just say she was going against Phil's back and visiting Andrew at SHIELD. Purely for Skye's sake in a safe environment. "Well she's still at School and doesn't get Home for another Hour. Do you remember how many minutes are in an hour?" After reading time May and Skye did a bunch of other exercises, Counting, Spelling and Math that was especially tricky! But after a few near tantrums she started to get the hang of it. "Ummm. 60?" Her words came out as more of a question than an answer. "Very good."

Skye didn't think she'd ever get over that praise.

The Car ride was a little boring at first, Skye didn't really like Car rides but May had played very soft Music and chatted the entire time- It helped with keeping her distracted, but looking out the window of the Car Skye stared at what she thought may have been the biggest building in the World, It said SHIELD on it, which was funny because she went back to the story Phil told her about Captain America. That building did not look like a Shield, it was too big! "That's a big building." She said quietly, she was feeling a little nervous, there must have been a lot of people there. What if she got lost? "It's okay, we're just going to see Dr. Garner, remember we talked about this." Yeah yeah, she remembered. As they got out of the Car Skye had attached herself to May's hand as though it was a lifeline.

"If you want, I can carry you? I know you don't like large crowds." That sounded okay, Skye nodded and without hesitation May lifted the young girl to her hip.

Inside the building was way different than outside Skye thought, she was really glad May was holding her now because now she was sure she would've gotten lost. She wasn't happy about talking to a Doctor about her feelings. That was always her problem- She never knew how to describe how she felt, She was either Angry or Sad. "May?" Skye called out in a quiet voice, she wanted to be brave but the amount of people were proving that to be difficult. "Yes sweetie?" May brushed a few stray hairs out of the girls face and smiled. "That Man keeps looking at us." She whispered that part. Once May glanced over to the Man he had started his approach, nothing struck May as odd. The Man was SHIELD but she could tell Skye had a... Feeling. It's like those stories say, Children have a deeper connection with some things that Adults tend to lose, almost like a sense. "Hello, Can I help you?" The Man asked as he approached the two. 'Spy Organization' May reminded herself. "We have an appointment with Dr. Garner today."

"Who's this little Angel?" The Man glanced back at Skye. May shrugged it off, kids never really were allowed here before so she didn't really question it. "My Daughter, Skye." The Man visibly recoiled when May had said 'My Daughter'.

"Uh.. Um, You need help getting there? I wouldn't mind taking you to his office." May shook her head, "Thanks but I know where I'm going, I used to be an Agent. Once upon a Time." The Man's eyes widened slightly, just slightly. "Oh apologies. Ms...?" May Smiled, "Melinda May-Coulson"

That's exactly what he needed, a Name. That was perfect. "Well, Mrs. Coulson, Little One. I hope you have fun." The Man straightened his tie and left. That was most definitely his Daughter, there was no mistake about it... Melinda May.. That name sounded so familiar. The Man-... Cal made his way to John's office. "John, ever hear of... Melinda May?"

"The Cavalry?"

Now that sounded familiar too. "Who is she?" Cal asked. loosening the tie he had just straightened moments ago. "Before she retired she was...Notorious for the name Cavalry, she killed twelve suicide bombers in Bahrain, they were kids... The amount of lives she saved though were innumerable. She retired shortly after with her Husband."

"Hmm.."

The feeling Doctor was boring, and Skye did her best to answer all of his questions, but now he wanted alone time with her Mommy-.. Her May, she corrected herself. And put some headphones on Skye and told her to play, "You'll be able to see me the whole time baby." Skye nodded and went to play with the toys.

"So." May started, "What's your analysis Doctor?"

"Does she exhibit anything.. Odd?" Andrew asked as he took a sip of coffee from his Mug and grabbed his Pen ready to write down some notes. "She acts.. Young for her age, Skittish yet clingy, she has trouble with words among other things. She's been through way too many traumatic events."May finished with a deep sigh and ran a hand through her hair, if anyone could help... It was Andrew. "Well, she has been through a lot. Right off the Bat I can tell you she's created coping mechanisms for herself to feel safe. You said she's been through highly Physical Trauma? Does she have any Speech issues, a Stutter maybe when she's nervous?" May cocked her head in confusion, she hadn't even considered that. "It's more common than you think and you mentioned she had trouble with words. In cases of high Trauma things like these can manifest at any time."

May looked over to the little girl playing with some Stuffed Bears and smiled before she looked back at Andrew. "Not that we know of, she just has trouble talking , specifically when she gets upset."

Andrew wrote down a few notes for himself. "It could be the start of a speech problem, She's still young so we can tackle this sooner rather than later, she doesn't know how to handle her stress or her anxiety and she's letting it all build up. Your best course of action as of right now? Find her an outlet. If she's showing tendencies that seem childish for her age, I'd suggest letting it slide... For now at least. Like I said, she's created these tendencies subconsciously so she can feel safe. We want to be very careful not to dismantle her safety and release the Dam, that could actually unleash all of our worries and then some. People who go through Physical Trauma, and emotional but mostly Physical are likely to develop Speech Impediments or other learning disabilities, and she's gone through both Physical and Emotional Abuse" Andrew finished and let May take this all in.

"What about School. How should I go with that?" May raised her eye-brow.

"Well, from what you've explained, she's bright. She just wasn't given the tools she needed. If she picks things up as fast as you say. I'd put her in regular classes. It might be weird but I'd put her in 2nd Grade. Does Pepper still teach there?" May nodded, "I'd talk to the School about getting Skye with Pep then, someone you know very well and someone who understands how delicate the situation is."

May glanced over to Skye still playing but was looking awfully tired. It was already 6:30. Between traffic and Andrew May was here a lot longer than intended. "I need to get her Home. Andrew, thank you again."

"Any time Melinda."

May tapped Skye's shoulder and the girl took the headphones off. "Come on Baby, we need to go home and get dinner started." May picked the Girl up and thanked Andrew one more time before she left.

"You did very well today baby. Tomorrow we're going to see if we can get you in School."

Skye put her head on May's shoulder, "Kay."

AN: Ooooooooh Cal AND Garrett.. Bet none of you saw that coming. -whispers- Review :) Also I have to admit something. -whisper- I love writing Momma May


	8. Love and Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye gets some much needed bonding time as she reflects on how feeling love is supposed to feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy y’all.   
> Okay, but for real, this chapter along with the next several were uploaded to my ff account first as I transition fully to Ao3.
> 
> Enjoy(feel free to roast my crap writing. It was published when I was still new to writing FanFiction)

Love and Trust

 

Halfway Home Phil had called May to pick Natasha up from her Martial Arts lesson, something about him still being stuck at work and Hunter wasn't around. To be honest it was really the last thing May wanted to do, Skye needed to get ready for bed.. Well, she needed to eat first too. May wouldn't normally indulge in the idea of Fast Food but she certainly wasn't cooking. "How does McDonalds sound? We'll pick up Tasha and you can pick whatever you'd like, you did so good today." May praised, Skye once again got herself thinking that this.. She could get used to this love. "Cool." She said around her thumb. May just smiled. "Cool."

Skye was nearly asleep when they pulled into the parking lot to pick Natasha up, they were actually a few minutes early oddly enough. "We still have a few minutes, would you like go go in and watch?" May did say they could this morning after all. Skye nodded sleepily from her seat. "Alright but we can't interrupt the class. Okay?" Skye nodded again, It was still too early for her to fall asleep. She did not want to deal with a 7 year old at 4 in the morning. May got out of the car and opened Skye's door and carefully undid the straps, maybe Skye didn't even fully realize it but she had put her arms out. She wasn't sure why she did that but May smiled and lifted the girl up.

Luckily the minute they opened the doors Skye seemed to perk up. There were different Age Groups for sure, Teens, Kids and even Toddlers though the little ones had no real concept of what was currently going on. But Skye's jaw dropped, especially watching the bigger kids where she could see Natasha sparring. Differently than what she saw with May too. She watched as Natasha grabbed a Boy much taller than herself and tossed herself over him and forced the Boy to lose his Balance and fall right over. "Whoa." Skye whispered, "She's so awesome." Well.. May couldn't disagree with her there. Martial Arts was great for Natasha, it taught her Discipline and Self Control. "One day you could do that." Out of everything these last few days the one constant thing Skye was amazed with was Martial Arts. The little girl lifted her head up about and looked at May. " I can do something like that? For real?" She asked seriously.

"Baby, you can do anything you want and be anything you want. Look over there." May pointed to a sign, "It says if we sign you up the first week is free. We're already here. If you want to try it out we can while we wait for Tasha?"

Skye nodded eagerly. She could do those things? That seemed so cool. And if May said it and she hasn't lied to Skye yet, the girl had no reason not to trust May.

Skye got to watch Natasha while May signed her up for classes, as long as she stayed in eye-sight. Skye didn't really want to leave May's side but she wanted to watch Natasha, really really badly.

Watching all of the kids was super cool! And when all the kids started to leave the floor and look for their Mommies and Daddies Skye was a little sad. "Hi." A Boy said next to her. "Hi." Skye responded shyly.

"Are you new here? My name's Grant Ward, what's yours?" Skye looked at the Boy curiously. He was a little taller than Skye and had a Purple Belt on. "Oh.. Um, I'm Skye."

"Hi Skye. Are you joining here?"

"Uh huh. I dunno when though." Skye said.

"Sometimes we get to help the new Students. I help the younger kids and Miss Natasha helps the older kids." Grant looked away for a moment as though he was looking for someone before he looked back at Skye. "I can teach you."

Skye nodded happily. Someone was offering to teacher her things? "Are you waiting for someone?" Skye asked, every few seconds Grant would start looking around.

"Ward. Let's go."

Grant looked towards the door. "Sorry Skye I gotta' go. Hope to see you around."

Skye didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

"Grant... Who was that little girl?"

"That was Skye, John, did my Mom forget me again?" Grant asked with a frown on his face.

Garrett chuckled, "Of course she did, so she called me so she could Drink. I'm not about to let my favorite Godson go Hungry."

"I'm your only Godson now..."

That's right, after the accident anyway that left Grant and his Mother alive. His Brother was cruel and his Dad was worse- But even 9 year old Grant didn't Wish anyone to die. After that night his Mother turned to Alcohol to try and numb the pain. It worked, until she sobered up, which usually meant she was never sober. So John Garrett was more or less the primary carer for Little Ward.

"Oh, Skye." Skye turned around to see Natasha, Skye instantly grinned. "Tasha, you looked so cool! I watched you toss that big guy over!" The girl was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Skye couldn't imagine seeing anything cooler than that. "Well thank you Malyutka, it took lots of practice." Natasha noticed the grin never left the little girls face. "You know, Martial Arts isn't just for fighting, it's to learn how to Protect. It's called Self Defense. The goal is to learn Self Control."

Skye had heard that word before, usually it were Doctors or Nuns or Teachers telling her she had no Self Control and she was violent to others. Skye didn't like hurting people, she tried to avoid it. People have hurt her for the entirety of her life, why would she succumb someone else to the Pain she had endured? "I wanna learn those things."

If Natasha was being honest with herself she had yet to really see Skye this excited for something.

"You'd never know she was nearly asleep in the car." May's voice came from behind Natasha. "We're all set, You're all signed up." Skye was bouncing up and down now.

This is how a 7 Year Old was supposed to act.

"Skye's going to join?" She looked at her Mom questioningly. "She is. We talked to Dr. Garner today and he agreed she needed some kind of outlet. And look at her, she's so excited."

May could see Skye's grin fading slowly, the girl was trying to mask her exhaustion, but it looked to be catching up with her. "There's a surprise for you at Home too, uh.. Both of you I guess."

"Natasha..." May's voice was low, "You know I don't like surprises."

Natasha had to force back a chuckle. "You're going to like this one Mom."

"You are aware that everyone is going to most likely go mental right Bob? I mean, whatever happened to a traditional surprise?" Hunter asked half annoyed as they finished a few last minute touches. "Oh shut up Hunter, it's going to be worth it. I mean come on, how can you say no to Ice Cream Cake?"

Hunter sighed at his Eldest sibling. "Mum isn't even home yet and it's late. There's no way she'll let Skye have any sweets." It was odd for Hunter to be the one spouting Mature things like that, but even though his interactions with Skye were brief he'd began to grow attached to the little girl. "Besides you can't Bribe her with sweets, Skye is.. Well, she's skittish." He explained, Bobbi took her attention off her task and faced Hunter. "I mean, we dealt with an Angry Natasha who spouted nothing but Russian Insults and sometimes on occasion tossed things that easily shattered at them.

Oh yes, Hunter remembered the Fish Bowl incident very well. Poor Fishy...

"Right... Just don't be hurt if she doesn't cling right away, Maybe it's just with me and Dad but she grew on Mum and Tasha pretty quickly."

Bobbi chuckled, "Of course, Boys suck. You know the old saying, 'Boys go to Jupiter to get more Stupider, Girls go to College to get more Knowledge.'"

Hunter froze, almost embarrassed, but not for himself. "Right, sure. But you demented Demonic Hellbeast just say 'Stupider'. What are they teaching you at SHIELD because frankly I'm questioning my decision to join now." Hunter said half jokingly.

"Alright, name-calling? The analogy went right over your head" They never understood why they argued so much.. Lance always thought it was just a girl thing, and Bobbi.. Well she just thought her brother was a complete idiot.

She was just about to fire back properly when the door had opened. Bobbi turned around to see her mother and a little girl just staring. "Bobbi...?" Skye noticed May's grin but the girl had taken a few steps back and tried to hide behind Natasha. Call it nerves, or being overtired or just scared. But the little girl did everything in her power to disappear. "When did you get here?" She glared at her kids suspiciously. Her having to pick Natasha up made sense now.

"I just got here a little while ago, is that my Baby Sister hiding over there?" Skye had grabbed the back of Natasha's shirt and gripped it for dear life, almost as though the ground would swallow her whole.

"She won't hurt you Malyutka. That's our big sister, Bobbi." Tasha's voice was very soothing. And then she heard May's voice. "Come on over here Baby." Skye didn't need to be asked twice, especially when it came to the comfort of her Mom-... Her.. May?

But as usual one thing Skye questioned was, what if Bobbi had seen her arms and made fun of her? That wouldn't be anything new by any means but the thought still scared her. Maybe Bobbi wouldn't like her, or didn't want a Sister? Skye racked her Brain with endless possibilities that didn't bode well.

Bobbi knelled down so she was at eye level with the little girl. It was also a way to hopefully look less threatening. "Hi Skye, I'm Bobbi. I'm sorry if I scared you, I couldn't wait to meet you." Skye thought Bobbi's words were genuine. Well, she wanted to think they were genuine. Skye tilted her head up to see May smiling. Again, May has yet to lie. If she said Bobbi wouldn't hurt her, well then she'd trust her. "Hi, Bobbi." She responded in a quiet voice.

"I hope it's okay I got you a present. I think you're going to like it." Skye still gripping on to May, wondered what in the World happened that someone got her a gift?! "Ta-Da" Bobbi valiantly sung as she unveiled a Cake. "It's an Ice-Cream Cake. Baby, think you can read what it says?" May gave a questionable look at her Eldest Daughter. How in the World could she say no sweets now. Bobbi had meticulously planned this. May lifted Skye up a bit so she could properly see the words on the Cake. "W-Wel.. Come.. Welcome T-To Our F-Faa." Skye paused for a moment. Why did words have to be so hard? Bobbi must think how stupid she is. "Remember don't get frustrated, sound it out." May gently guided the little girl. "Fam-i...ly.. Welcome to our Family?" She stated in the phrase of a question as she looked up to May. "Very good. See, you took your time and got it." May gently placed a kiss at the top of Skye's head. "I'm part of the Family?" Skye could almost cry. This somehow made it seem... Real, almost.

Bobbi didn't really know the ins and outs of this little girl, aside from what her siblings had told her. But that didn't make her heart shatter any less. "Of course you are Malyutka, forever and ever."

Deep down the girl wanted a Family. She wanted to be in a place where she wouldn't be hurt, and this Home has been, by far, the longest amount of time she's gone without being Emotionally or Physically put down.

"Baby you're a member of this Family. I have four wonderful kids, and i'll keep telling you until you believe it yourself. You're never going back to that Orphanage, and I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

Skye nodded, she did believe May. She really did. "I gots hurt b'fore." She mumbled, her apparent tiredness catching up to her again as she kept her eyes directed to Bobbi. "That must've been scary." Skye nodded, it was. And still is, especially when her dreams are plagued by her Past Home and that Stupid Dog. "Let's have some Cake before it melts, how's that sound Lil' Sis?" Skye looked at May as though she was waiting for a response. "One Slice, a Very Very small one. I can't have you bouncing around all night." Skye grinned, "m'Kay."

And that's exactly what they did, Skye sat down at the table in May's lap with Bobbi, Hunter, and Natasha, they talked about some things Skye liked and really felt like she was growing attached to these people. She wanted this to be forever, she knew that much. If there was one thing Skye really enjoyed, was Bobbi did her best to include Skye in the conversation as much as possible. Skye really appreciated that. "What kinds of things do you like Skye?" Bobbi asked as she watched Skye take a bite of her Ice Cream Cake, "I like swinging, and uh.. I like watching May and Tasha spar." Skye remembered the word, it was Pretend Fighting more or less. Other than those 2 things the little girl realized that she didn't like much, she was never given that opportunity to enjoy things. Bobbi grinned, "Those are pretty cool things Lil Sis. Maybe tomorrow we can go to the Park."

"After we sign her up for School in the morning, sure." Skye nodded after May's voice, the Park sounded fun- and she trusted everyone.

Natasha took the small gap in the conversation to run upstairs and grab a game. Yeah it was late, especially for Skye. But this is exactly what the doctor ordered. "Alright, we're playing Uno." A game Natasha could play any day of the week. "Do you know how to play Skye?" The little girl shook her head. "That's okay." May chipped in, "You can help me."

Though the conversation and game didn't exactly last long when May noticed the little girls body starting to slouch. "Everything okay Baby?" May asked in a hushed voice, the response she was going to get would nearly stop everyone's Hearts. "m'sleepy Mommy." Skye mumbled as she tried to cuddle up to May

Maybe the little girl hadn't registered what she said, she didn't seem like she was really aware. But the grins around the table really set the tone. May would be lying if she said she didn't let a few Silent Tears fall. This girl felt so safe here, and grew so fast in a matter of days. It seemed fast if May was honest with herself- but Skye wasn't like most cases. The girl was abused and robbed of affection. Maybe this was all natural to Skye? She'd been clinging to the one thing she had never had before. Love. And Love was a powerful emotion. That being said, May was enthralled with Joy. "Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed my baby." May's voice cracked slightly. She sort of wished Phil was here, but he was stuck. Something about an Emergency at work still going on.

"I hate this. You're making me lie to Mel." He glared at the Man responsible. "I wouldn't normally do this Coulson, when you left SHIELD I respected it. But you know how many people I can trust."

Phil nodded, "You can count them on one hand."

"And I'm not afraid to cut of fingers. Now, when the time comes I'll settle things with Melinda. But we've got a serious problem, this Man was brought in this Morning for questioning. Lars Jackson, was found dead. I need a pair of fresh eyes on this, Stark is only willing to do so much.."

Phil froze. Lars Jackson, dead...? "Does that name mean anything to you Coulson?" Phil nodded, "He was my newest Daughters past Foster Home, they hurt her Nick." Well... This was oddly coincidental. "I prepared a Room for you. I know you're not a Coroner, but I need any kind of Evidence in Foul Play. I have a few theories but I'm wary on who I can trust. I'm sorry Phil, I need you. Stark will assist you where he can, you know how he likes to meddle in peoples business." That much was true, why did Tony Stark, a Billionaire who worked in Tech at SHIELD want to help with an autopsy?

Now he needed them. He couldn't waiver protocol back in the Day for two of his brightest. "You're going to owe me big time."

Fury didn't doubt that for a second.

"Yes, it was her. I'm sure of it. What? No listen- if you act now you'll ruin everything. Play it smart, we know that Women. That was Melinda May, I'd recognize her anywhere. Now we learn everything about them, shadow them. Follow them, we learn their daily routine, then and only then do you make your move. We're already being investigated, and yes- we. A few specialists have been called in." Garrett's voice had a form of agitation laced with his words. He was already involved with this particular fiasco more than he wanted to be. "No, we play it cool. We're not suspects yet but we need to be ready to move in an instant. You want your Daughter back? Fine, you play by my rules. My Godson seems to have befriended the girl, we'll use that."

John Garrett was a snake, there was no doubt about that. The Man held no allegiance or even responsibility for anything. He was not a good man, but his partner who seemed to have very little grip to reality itself was worse. The fool thought everything would play out how he had envisioned..

Morning came pretty fast, Skye had managed to stay in her bed- which was progress all in its own. May even had to wake the girl up, which seemed to be a struggle. She did not want to wake up, or at least until she remembered the fun she had with everyone last night, and she even briefly remembered what she had said last night. The look on May's face didn't seem mad, which was a relief. "Are you mad at me?" Skye asked as May picked the little girl up. A routine that seemed to just.. Well it just worked. "Of course not, we talked about this. You've only been here a few days, look how far you've come."

May was right, and of course Skye knew it. Every Day she grew safer, she had 2 Sisters and a Brother, the kind that didn't hurt them. Skye also had a Mommy, and a Phil. "We've got a big Day. Let's go eat and then we're going to meet with Ms. Potts and have a good day." Skye nodded, today was going to be a good day. She was sure of it. Skye didn't even bring her blanket downstairs with her, throughout breakfast talking to Bobbi since Hunter and Natasha were off at School and Phil was sleeping everything was going great. Skye had fun, felt loved- and more importantly, felt wanted.

Cars were always boring for Skye, that much stayed true, and she even felt a little nervous at the School. It was big, but Skye held May's hand the entire time. And when she met with Ms. Potts she wasn't even scared. Skye liked School for the most part.

Maybe everything would turn out fine.


	9. Skye’s First Day of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye is nervous to start her first day of School, but don’t worry... Momma May knows how to soothe her.

"I don't want to go to School." Skye huffed as May pulled into the parking lot. They had gotten there a little early so Pepper could show them around- so Skye wouldn't be so nervous. May turned the car off and turned to her little girl and could see the nervousness in her eyes. "I know you don't want to, but you have to." May stated, and Skye remained quiet, this wasn't an argument she could actually win anyway... But that didn't mean she had to like it. "But why? We can go home and I can help you... Clean?" May chuckled, "Because it's the law, besides I go back to work Today, we discussed this remember? We came here early so you didn't feel so nervous." May got out of the car and opened the back seat door and unhook Skye from her Booster Seat.

As they made their way down the lot May could see someone waiting.

"Look, Pepper is already waiting." May looked down and saw that Skye was just looking down at the ground, her face hidden by her hair. "I know you're nervous baby, and there's nothing wrong with that.. But I want you to do me a favor." May leaned down on the ground so Skye could see she was serious. The girl nodded, "Good, I need you to be brave and remember the progress you've made already in such a short amount of time. You have nothing to fear and if you really need us Pepper has our number and can call us... Come on." May grabbed Skye's hand gently and led her to where Pepper was waiting.

Upon walking in, Skye felt a little better knowing they could call May if she needed. It smelled like a nice scented candle, and looking around Skye didn't see any nails that she could accidentally fall into either. "Hi Skye, I'm Ms. Potts- I'm an old friend of your.. Mom?" She glanced at May who nodded, "How are you feeling?" Skye shrugged, she didn't really feel anything right now.

"Here is where you'll sit." Pepper pointed to the desk and Skye quietly placed a few things inside the desk that she would need for the day. "What if I gets lost forever?" The question barely came out above a whisper but was just audible. "Well, we'll have to show you every inch of the School so you can't get lost, how's that sound?" Skye liked how kind Ms. Potts voice was, it defiantly wasn't like . "'Kay." smiled endearingly "Why don't you put the rest of your things away so I can talk to your Mom."

Pepper smiled the whole time, Skye never saw someone smile so much, she sort of wondered if her face was stuck like that. "Pep, there's some things you need to know." Pepper quickly spoke before May could finish, "I read the reports Andrew faxed over." And what Pepper read was only that, she never got the chance to read what Miss Shannon left. "There's more to it, Andrew advised to try and well... Normalize everything, when shes really nervous or upset she tends to shut down. Honestly Pep both Andrew and I agreed we only trust you. Skye is so smart she just doesn't realize it yet, and no- that's not just me saying that. She's been abused, Physically and Emotionally." May sighed as she finished speaking- she hated discussing this.

"Well, while I'd like to speak further about this, Melinda you have nothing to worry about. Skye." Pepper turned her head to the little girl, "You ready to see the School? After that your Mom has to go to work."

Skye nodded shyly

Throughout the entire time Pepper showed Skye the ins and outs of the School she had clung to May, it was a comfort she loved.

"No! Mommy don't leave, Please!" May wasn't surprised when Skye broke down and saw the tears slowly cascade their way down. "Skye we talked about this, we're going to have a good day and after School your sisters are going to take you to the park. I know it's hard but you need to be brave, okay?" Skye nodded at her Moms words-May wiped the tears off of her face. "Remember Pepper can call me for anything. Now give me a hug."

Skye didn't need to be told twice as she fell into her Moms arms, and hugged for a few minutes. "Come on Skye." Pepper lead the girl back into the room.

"Can I come in Ms. Potts?"

"Of course."

Skye watched as a young Boy with dirty blonde hair walked into the classroom. "Lincoln, this is Skye. Skye, this is Lincoln. She's starting today."

Skye shyly waved and Lincoln smiled, he liked to meet new people. "I like your name Skye, I'm Lincoln Campbell." Skye smiled at the compliment, that was new. "Oh.. Um, Nice t'meet you Lincoln.

"Alright find your seats you two, sometimes everyone's a little energetic in the morning.." Skye nodded, and true to her words it was like a little stampede of Kids charging in.

Seeing all the kids bombard the entrance of the room was a little overwhelming for Skye. The little girl had tons of scenarios running through her head, she immediately looked down at her arms. It's been a while in a sense and the marks had all but disappeared except one scratch. Skye remembered that mark specifically when the Dog bit her because she wasn't in bed on time.. She really hated that Dog.

Skye snapped back to the class when she heard someone speaking. "Class, everyone settle down and put your things away. We have a new student joining us today and then we are going to work on our reading today." Ms. Potts told the class, and Skye was grateful all she needed to do was say hello to the class. She didn't need to read in front of everyone, no one mentioned her marks, and more importantly no one made fun of her.

Maybe School wasn't so bad...

Ms. Potts handed out a worksheet for everyone and that's when reality sort of kicked into gear, It was a Math worksheet.. Skye told herself she could do it.. But she wasn't really sure.

"Everyone, take your time. Work out your problems, I want to see the work. Names on top too, and yes I'm looking at you Lincoln. You keep forgetting." Ms. Potts smiled and Lincoln shrugged, Skye wasn't sure what she was supposed to write other than Skye, but she took her time and tried to be neat, everything was way easier with her left hand. Those nuns were so stupid!

"Skye, if you want you can bring your stuff over here." Ms. Potts asked as she took a seat on the small round table in the back of the class. Skye stood up and grabbed her paper and supplies she needed.

"How are you doing?"

"'M fine." Which wasn't a complete lie. Her stomach felt like it had a dozen butterflies fluttering around, but she didn't feel like anything was wrong.. Other than missing her Mom. "I'm not good at stuff." She whispered that part so the class didn't hear her. Ms. Potts put her hand on Skye's. "I know you've been through a hard time, but you're very smart Skye, I'll show you." Ms. Potts smiled and pointed at the worksheet. "Now let's see you try and best, and I'll help you along the way." Skye nodded, she could try.

15 Minutes later Skye finished the worksheet, herself too. The smile emitting on her face was that of pure happiness. Skye was proud of herself, realistically she knew it was simple Math, but she was able to do it. Even though she counted with her fingers... That still counted though, right?

"Ready for Lunch? And then recess"

Skye nodded cheerfully

"Hi Skye!" The boy from this morning called out as the class made their way outside. "Oh.. Uh, Lincoln, right?" The Boy nodded. "Wanna play? We usually play tag but we can play something different." Skye grinned, she wasn't berated here, she wasn't judged on her appearance here like her old School. "Sure!"

Skye liked being treated as a person, just like at Home, this was nice. She wasn't a burden here, she wasn't judged, or mocked, her teacher didn't tell the kids to mock her because she wasn't full American. Skye honestly never understood that, but she didn't worry about anything here, and for the next 45 minutes was pure bliss, she played tag and Skye and Lincoln kept teaming up, and kept winning. "We make a great team Lincoln!" Skye said as she struggled to take a breath from all the running. "Yeah, we're like a Super Hero Team! Chase crime and beat the bad guys!" Lincoln explained as he acted out some fake punches and kicks to the air.

Lincoln was funny, and kind.

Skye never thought she'd be able to trust a Boy. Besides Phil and Hunter there weren't many others except from bad experiences, Boys were always more violent. But she always trusted girls more. "We're like besties now." Skye furrowed her eyebrows, "We are?" She wondered.. She never had a bestie before. "Yeah we're having fun, and if anything bad ever happens I can protect you with my super powers of... Um, Electricity like Virgil in Static Shock!"

Skye had no idea who Static Shock was but it sounded pretty cool.

Skye made a friend, and played Super Heroes. They fought the bad people and for the first time in a long time she got to be a kid. No judgement, no violence, no fear.

The Day was winding down, and everyone started to gather their things, everyone grabbed their things and got in line and headed outside with , Skye hoped no one forgot her.

Skye looked around, she stayed very close to because all of the people there was a little overwhelming, Skye was honestly a little sad School was over, She'd met some of the kids, for the most part they never really bothered her but then were was Lincoln- right off the bat he tried to befriend Skye. In truth Skye never really had many friends, at St. Agnes she knew Matt but their friendship was usually a more of a 'You fight for me, I'll fight for you' type situation, and even though Matt was blind- He never backed down for a fight. Somehow Skye was always the one in trouble.

"There's your Mom." gently spoke, breaking Skye from her thoughts. She smiled brightly as May approached, "How was your first Day Skye?" May asked and could tell, one again in the tone of her voice, was the foreign feeling, it was love. "It was good! 'Cos I made a friend, and I wasn't even scared!"

Melinda counted her blessings, for the most part Skye was very well behaved, and she occasionally had her 'moments' but she had yet to throw anything like a tantrum or express any form of actual anger, nothing like what those reports said. The difference between Skye's old Social Worker and her Current one, were Night and Day. One cared, and the other didn't. But in May's old line of work, she knew enough pressure and any Damn will crack eventually if its overfilled.

"Pepper, how was she?" May did that thing she did with her eyebrows that seemed to always speak in volumes. "Well she did very well, she did her Math problems herself today, if anything she was a little quiet but she was very well behaved. I gave her some extra work to help her catch up."

Huh... Maybe May was wrong, Skye did seem fine after all. "Alright let's go baby, your sisters are waiting for you."

To that statement Skye jumped up May's hip, today was exhausting but she was looking forward to the park.


	10. Tick Tock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes full circle when a sister goes full protection mode.
> 
> Review or dont. Just don’t hurt me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Alright this Chapter may be a little different in format, and my hope is it plays out alright, I've never been more nervous for a chapter before...But I felt I needed to make up for that last chapter. You're all either going to hate me for good reasons or.. Bad reasons. But either way i'm going to cower in a corner in fear. Don't hurt me.

Tick Tock, The Race Against The Clock

 

Italics are 'Present' Time. The Chapter itself takes course over multiple days

Warning- Chapter contains Violence and other intense scenes. You've been warned.

-Present-

"You idiot, what were you thinking? Pulling your gun out like some kind of rookie." Garrett paced in the rundown building him and Cal were held up in, the mess that Cal caused had put everything into jeopardy, everything was falling apart. "You really fucked up, just couldn't keep your cool could you? Now look at the consequences of your actions." The Man spat out, he was already in on this more than he wanted. He sure as hell didn't want anyone dead though, but now there were too many loose ends.

Cal, covered in Blood casually sat down on the beat down couch. "So the red-head probably bled out by now, and the Blonde is sleeping peacefully in the other room, they shouldn't have tried to be some kind of Hero, like out of some kind of fairy tale." One more person dead to Cal was more or less the equivalent of killing an insect, he didn't care. He got the girl, his Daughter.. The only one person he had left in this world. Cal looked over to the unconscious girl.. "Daisy" He whispered, as he stared at his Daughter.

... (10 Days Ago)

Skye had been so well behaved at the School, and if May was being honest it should've been a little concerning. But with Skye it was always hard to read what she was feeling, because Skye herself often didn't know how she felt. But Skye herself seemed rather attached to Pepper, it was then that May really took notice that she really only trusted Women, she'd make sure to tell all of Natasha's friends to not be too offended tomorrow for the Party.

By the time they had arrived Home, Natasha was already waiting for her little sister with Bobbi. Upon opening the door Skye was greeted by the smiles of both of her Sisters. "Hi Skye!" Bobbi cheerfully said to her Sister. "How was your Day?"

"It was fun, I gots to meet my new Teacher! And you know what? I used to not like School b'fore, My old teacher would yell at me when I couldn't read the books, but Ms. Potts wasn't mean at all!" Skye explained to her sisters, the smile never leaving her face even as she explained a bad part of her past. Bobbi couldn't help but feel for her new baby sister, she knew what it was like to be treated different and labeled. "You can tell me and Tasha all about it on the way to the park."

All this Kid needed was some love and a gentle tug into the right direction. She had come so far, in such a short amount of time.

Skye beamed, the park did sound like so much fun, and she was with two people who would keep her safe, she knew this now.

"Is Mommy coming?" Skye looked up and finally met the smiles on everyone's faces. Yeah, she used the term 'Mommy' again, and as weird as it still was nothing had ever felt more right in her life, although in Skye's extremely short life, it had been a life of solitude and abuse- If someone said she didn't belong, she believed it, if someone said it was her fault, she believed it- so when Skye had finally found one person she could absolutely trust it seemed almost perfect on how attached and dependent she became on May, and May embraced it wholeheartedly. May for a split second looked like she could cry, out of happiness of course. "I'd love to Baby but I have to take care of a few things. The park is only down the street and both of your sisters have phones so if you need me, don't be afraid to have them call me."

"Don't worry about us Mom, we'll be fine." Natasha waved their Mother off as she slipped her shoes on, Skye didn't look like she'd be able to stand still for much longer.

As they began their Journey to the Park, Skye quickly became aware of something. Since she came to live with this Family she had never really spent much time away from May, especially for an extended period of time. "Everything okay Maluytka?" Bobbi grinned over the nickname her little sister had given Skye, Bobbi knew a few languages though her Russian was.. Not great really, She was Fluent in Spanish, Italian and even Mandarin. Her Russian was more or less what her sister had taught her, beside vulgar words that is. Skye nodded sheepishly, she was fine. She really was, she just felt a little sad. "I just miss Mommy." It wasn't a lie either, and the word still rolled off her tongue so effortlessly. Natasha and Bobbi stopped in their traps, Bobbi didn't fully understand much about the girl, but Natasha did- so the red-head knelt down to the girl, "It's okay to miss her." Natasha said with a voice that you could feel the love with every word she said. "It is?" Skye asked, and truthfully Skye didn't know what was right or wrong, what was good or bad.. Well, strike that, she knew full well what Good and Bad were. Good were the people she lived with now. A Mommy, Phil, Natasha, Hunter, and Bobbi- Bad were all the people in the past who hurt her.

"It's more than okay. You're so special, and a member of this Family. Now, tell us all about your day while we walk."

Skye nodded, and the talking helped to keep her distracted.

-Present-

"This..." Garrett motioned his arms around the building, specifically the situation. "This is a disaster. You were supposed to be shadowing the Family- Strike when no one would be around. Why Cal? Explain why you did what you did, you reckless imbecile!" Garrett yelled with a tone and emotion of pure aggression. "I shadowed them for over a week. I wanted my little girl!" Cal growled out and slammed his hands onto the makeshift table. "Now I finally have her, and no one will take her from me!"

In that moment of aggression, almost instantaneously after those words, Skye had shot up in a panic, the events flooding her mind like a train going top speed, she wanted to scream, but she was terrified.. As she looked around her surroundings in the beat down building her eyes began to swim, and tears poured down as she remembered. Blood... There was so much Blood, and Skye tried to fight them off like her new Mom and Sister taught her, but they threw her to the ground and... Well she remembered she hit her head pretty hard and the back of her head was... Pretty Sore. "Daisy, it's okay. I'm here now." Skye saw the blurry Man and his outfit was covered in blood. That made the situation worse."M-Mommy!" Skye cried out in desperation and fear... These were strangers... And boys, the two things she could never trust. Cal had tried to call her again and Skye yelled again, her name wasn't Daisy! "That's not my Name! I want my Mommy!" Skye cried even harder. Abuse wasn't an unknown entity to Skye by far, but after just learning she was safe only to have it all taken away from her completely shattered everything she started to believe in.

-10 Days Ago-

Skye had fun at the Park with Natasha and Bobbi, She had got to swing and run around for an hour when her feet started to hurt. Tasha and Bobbi never left her eyesight, not even for a minute and Skye had never felt more safe, her mind was completely taken off of May with her two sisters. Yes, they were her Sisters who didn't hurt her. Skye walked up to Natasha that was sitting with Bobbi on a bench close by and climbed into her lap while Tasha and Bobbi were mid conversation. Skye wasn't sure what they were talking about but they seemed to be talking about some kind of Van or something, but Skye was tired, most days she would actually nap- and today was a big day for her, she'd never nap for long but it was just one of those traits May couldn't find it in herself to break. She was healing, and she wouldn't take the things that made her comfortable away, the healing of the mind was something different.

"Ready to head home? It'll be dark soon." Tasha asked as she ran her hand through Skye's hair, the little girl could only find herself nodding. She was beyond exhausted, Today was great. Skye wished she could have every day as good as this one, but she knew Bobbi had to go back to School soon and even Hunter was leaving Tomorrow night.

Skye liked Hunter, when he was around he was playful, goofy even. But he never pushed anything too far, He'd always wait for her before he did anything, She appreciated that.

Natasha took the cue and picked Skye up, and the girl wrapped her arms around Tasha's neck and position herself on her sisters shoulder, she was happy the house wasn't too far away.

The gentle bumping was actually much like rocking almost and was pretty soothing for Skye, she tried to move her body slightly in Natasha's arms so she was more comfortable and had access to her thumb easier. "Tired?" Bobbi asked as she looked over to Skye, taking notice of the girls features and how little she actually looked for her age. Skye didn't audibly respond, she just nodded sleepily as her eyes started to droop.

They were unaware they were being followed...

"So.. They do this routine often maybe, and their home is close, this could be the ideal time to take my little girl back Garrett... Garrett?" Cal called over. "No... It's too open, and there's way to many people here, we wait until we find a better consistent area, this ones off limits."

Cal mumbled, "We'll see about that."

-Present-

May couldn't make sense of what was happening.. Her girls.. Skye was kidnapped.. Natasha was shot.. And Bobbi was missing- presumably with the same people who took Skye and shot Natasha, Phil was shouting at people and May had one of those moments where time stood completely still and emptied the contents of her stomach. This was any Mothers worse nightmare. The sound forced Phil to stop his verbal assault on everyone and aid his Wife. He looked at her with tears in his eyes, as well as hers. Their worlds had shattered. "Mel.. Baby." Phil's voice cracked, he tried desperately to force the words his wife needed from his throat, admittedly this was a time where he needed to be strong. "We'll find them."

May was just a wreck and Phil was just... Well he wasn't doing any better actually, May was usually good with keeping her emotions in check. May never uttered a word, she just reached for her phone with a shaky hand and dialed a number. Melinda May still had favors, weakness was NOT an option, but she couldn't stop herself from fearing the worst. Her girls were still alive, she knew that much.

Phil noticed the number she was dialing.

"Fury..." May paused and Phil visibly stiffened, surely she wasn't going to call in THAT favor... Right? "I.. I need your help, My Family's been attacked, My girls are missing. You help me, and we will have a conversation at length about me coming back... Yes Nick- You owe me, And I also know you've been behind my back despite no contact. Help me, and I'll owe you." May shifted her phone to her other ear. Her body was in the process of fight... or Die trying, She wasn't Melinda May-Coulson right now, Na... She was in this moment a Mother on a path of justice

"We're doing this?" Phil asked as he put his hand to her Shoulder. "No, I'm doing this with a small team. You help keep our daughter alive." Her words had come out a lot harsher than she intended. "You're the only one who can, and that I trust. There may still be another attack Phil." Her words cut, but she was right. Their family was still in danger.

"I need to call Skye's Social Worker..." Phil trailed off as he watched his Wife walk away, whether it was shock or not- he could not say.

-10 Days Ago-

It'd been bothering Skye for a little while now since she found out Natasha's Birthday was coming up. She really wanted to do something nice, so Tasha would love her forever. "Mommy?" Skye quietly called out as she made her way downstairs, May was sitting on the couch with Phil and were watching some kind of Soap Opera but Phil didn't seem to into it since he was reading a Book. "Yes Baby? Did you have a good nap?" Skye nodded for some reason, "m'Kay. I need help with somethin'" May wondered for a second what she might need help with, it was a little out of Character for Skye. "Like what?"

She wondered, She knew Natasha's Birthday was tomorrow, she had to do something nice. "I need to get Tasha somethin' for her Birthday." Skye's voice was very serious. Her tone actually left no room for argument- and with good reason, though May couldn't help but see how adorable her facial expression was. She wanted Natasha to love Skye, the same way Skye loves Natasha. "I wanted to make somethin' but m'not good at things." Her voice trailed off at her admittance.

"Baby, you're very good at things. And you can help me with Tasha's gift. I was going to make her a Cake and the helpers usually get to eat some of the frosting. Up for the Job?" May asked with a curious eye-brow and Skye's eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes! I can be a good helper, promise!" Skye was glad to help with something, and could feel some of the anxiety dwindle within

9 Days Ago

Hunter and Bobbi had annoyingly kept Natasha occupied all morning while Skye and May made an awesome Triple layered Chocolate Fudge Cake... Skye wasn't sure she had seen so much Chocolate in her life, and every time May turned away Skye would grin and take a little bit of frosting, whether or not May actually noticed was yet to be seen. "Mommy?"

May smiled at her little girl, who was just a mess. "Yes little one?"

Skye sucked in a breath, "I love you Mommy, and I hope Tasha has the best Party ever!" It was one thing to call someone 'Mom' or 'Mommy' but it was another thing to use the words 'Love' but as expected May had just smiled, it was really silly for Skye to even think May would be mad, but she wasn't.

"Remember Skye, Tasha's friends are a little older, and bigger, they might be loud. If you get scared what do we do?" May gently asked as she leaned down to the girl, frosting smeared across her face. "I take a breath and count to 10?" May nodded, it was a little breathing exercise Andrew had suggested, that vaguely worked with Natasha when she was younger. "That's right. I know you can sometimes get a little overwhelmed with Boys, but Steve and Bucky are very kind. They're actually both really childish."

"Like Hunter?" Skye wondered, and May let out a grin and a small chuckle. "Well, Lance is worse than a child- You're way more Mature than he is, and you're 7."

"Bloody Hell, I can hear you, you know."

May elected to ignore her annoying son and put her hand gently on Skye's face, "You need a bath before everyone gets here."

Why Hunter decided to join the academy was beyond May, but infuriated her even more was he had to leave tonight, after Tasha's Birthday..

"Are you scared?" May asked as she finished washing Skye's hair. Skye lightly shrugged her shoulders, she wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling exactly. "I.. There's gonna be a lot of people." Skye admitted with a guilty look, she was nervous to meet Steve and Bucky. Their names sounded nice but she didn't know them. "Just remember, they're big kids and won't hurt you."

It couldn't be so bad right? Skye had never been to a party before anyway.

It felt weird having a party, Natasha protested it to the fullest extent. She was older now, and had everything she could ever have wanted. All she ever wanted was to be free of the horribly cold Russia, and all the terror that accompanied it. She had that now, she didn't like parties. It was a compromise with her Mother as it was the year before and the years even before that. She missed Clint, but she knew he was doing good- Steve and Bucky were her best friends. Less people the better anyway, for Skye's sake. Bobbi and Hunter being there and fighting constantly was like having a dozen people anyway. They were always fighting.

The door bell finally rang and Phil opened the door.

"Mr. Coulson" The taller boy said as he extended his hand. "Steve, Bucky, good to see you. Come in, come in."

Phil said as he shook his hand, Phil always liked Steve, very respectable. "Bucky you too, how are you feeling?" Phil asked, after Bucky's surgery Phil had been around often at the Hospital with the rehab. "I'm feeling good, thanks."

Phil smiled as he let the two in, Bucky was in an accident a few years back. His arm was entirely crushed and had to get a prosthetic- Which Bucky learned with science getting better and better prosthetic were getting better too.

He's heard rumors of attaching nerves to a nearly robotic arm... One Day..

"Happy Birthday Tash!" Steve said as he and Bucky made their way into the house, She was sitting on the floor with a little girl and appeared to be counting. "Who's this?" Bucky asked, Skye looked up before quickly hiding her face in Tasha's shirt.

Natasha smiled "My baby sister, Skye. We were just doing some counting, weren't we malyutka?"

Skye poked her head out a little bit and nodded shyly. Natasha's friends didn't seem so scary. "Tasha helps me with my Homework 'cos I'm not good at counting yet." Skye admitted and she felt embarrassed. "I'm sure you're really good at counting Skye. I'm Steve. And this-" he pointed to Bucky, "this is Bucky my step-brother"

Skye shyly waved and went to put her Homework away. "I've got an idea, follow me- you too Skye." Natasha led the 3 Down the stairs. "I set the mats up earlier. Think you can still take me?" Natasha asked. "We're going to spar now?" Steve asked but didn't get an answer, instead Natasha just tossed some sparing gear his way. "Pay attention Skye, this is why we girls are better in every way." Skye smiled and nodded, she liked watching May and Tasha fight, well.. Spar- it was play fighting she decided.

Natasha reached for her bow-staff, which to Skye's disappointment wasn't a bow, it was just a long stick. She watched Natasha make a weird hand movement to fling it backwards so it held behind her body. "You sure you want to do this Tasha? You can still back away." Steve smiled playfully. "You wish." She said as she took her staff and swung it forward. Skye was amazed when her stick collided with Steve's.

"Whoa" Skye said in amazement.

Skye heard a soft chuckle before they sticks continued to collide multiple times, eventually Skye saw her Sister sweep Steve's feet with the stick and he fell backwards. "I think that's what? 20-8 now? You keep leaving your legs completely unguarded." Natasha reached her hand out for Steve and pulled him up. "Yeah, Yeah..."

"Want a quick lesson Skye?" Skye's head perked up. "Will it hurt?"

"No, I'm going to teach you how to get away from someone who's bigger than you. Steve and Bucky are going to be my two dummies."

Natasha pulled her sister gently onto the Mat. "Now watch and then you do." Bucky smiled as he playfully grabbed Natasha and put his hand softly around her throat, Skye thought it looked like it hurt her. "First you grab his arm like this" Natasha demonstrated and pulled her thumb and yanked his hand "Then you twist your body and use your momentum to push them off you."

Skye nodded enthusiastically at the instructions.

It was a little awkward at first- being much smaller and underweight for her age especially. But as usual and to Skye own amazement- she caught on rather quick.

"Very good Skye!" Natasha's praise was all she needed, "Now this is the best way to spend my birthday! My 3 favorite people."

"I'll let Clint know" Steve joked

"Yeah he's going to love we're the favorites" Bucky teased

"You knew what I meant." Natasha glared at the two.

"We should probably get back up soon."

And that was Skye's own highlight of the day- in truth watching her sister fight was frightening but she wanted to learn more. It was really cool she had to admit. If Skye was strong and brave like her Mom and Tasha then she wouldn't be afraid of anything!

Steve and Bucky had to leave early, which left the family together for cake. Natasha couldn't help herself. She had one single request- ice cream cake. Chocolate specifically, if there was one thing Natasha adored in the sweets department it was chocolate. How could you go wrong? It also appeared that Skye shared the same love for sweets, the little girl was once again, a mess. "Malyutka I think you got more on you than in you."

Skye shrugged as she took another bite. It was really good. She wanted to relish in this peace, she had enjoyed hanging out with Natasha and her friends, and she knew Hunter was going to School or something before bed, he had his bags all packed already.

-Present-

May said nothing as she strolled through the small base. It was an older place her and Phil had for emergencies... much like this. May quickly changed to her Shield Uniform. Something that had plagued her heart for years after those Kids... No she didn't haven't time to stroll down memory lane. She reached for an encrypted line she had for Fury only. "Nick. Send me your 3 best. You get me my girls back and I'm yours."

Fury agreed, he wasn't going to stop a mother on a path of.. well he hoped justice but this was Melinda May after all.

It was during the scuffle after Skye had snuck in and freed Bobbi, Garrett had grabbed Skye and threw her pretty effortlessly too, Skye didn't even feel her head connect with the wall and then the ground. In fact, she didn't feel anything. She sat back up in a daze, her vision had instantly blurred to a cloudy red. She was bleeding, and her eyes felt heavy all of a sudden but she felt no pain.

Bobbi jumped from her chair and yelled, and it kind of looked like they were fighting, but Skye couldn't be sure. Someone was on the ground though and she heard Bobbi talking. Skye tried to say something but no words came out.

"Baby, you're fine. But you need to stay awake!" That was definitely Bobbi's voice... but it sounded so far away, and muffled. All she heard was Stay Awake and then it hit her just how sleepy she was. Bobbi needed to fix this situation... And fast. It'd been 2 days of this... Hell.

"Now you've done it, you little bitch!" Garrett said as he stood back up, he had his gun pointed at the girls, though Skye couldn't comprehend what was happening. "I was going to let you live, but now... Now I've changed my mind." He cocked his gun and took aim at the blonde. "If I'm being honest, I didn't want this. But loose ends need to be tied up." Garrett stepped closer so the barrel of the pistol was touching her forehead. That was his mistake and the moment Bobbi needed, he had let his guard down. All this Man saw was a weak and defenseless girl, not the Cavalry's Daughter. Bobbi jerked her hand and interlocked her thumb with the mans palm and she twisted his arm and disarmed him. John grabbed his hand and eyed the girl down. "Clever... But do you have what it tak-" He was cut off by the sound of a bullet. She tossed the gun to the ground and looked over to Skye. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed. "Skye!" Bobbi cried out. "Come on, Wake up!"

Skye didn't wake up. Bobbi was left in an impossible situation. Skye wasn't moving, and she had at least one more assailant to get through. Time was not on their side.

2 Days Ago-

In the last few days it'd become nearly a routine for Skye to go to the park with her sisters. Bobbi was supposed to be leaving in a few days, something about having no time left. And almost every other day Skye saw Lincoln there, so they would run around protecting the world from all of the evil doers. "We gotta give you a cool superhero name Skye. I'm Static!" Lincoln proudly explained as he did some odd hand movements in the air. "Hmm, how about Quake? I can shake the ground!"

Lincoln smiled, The dynamic duo of Static and Quake were formed.

Bobbi and Natasha sat on the bench- chatting about some nonsense. They had played with Skye for a considerable amount of time until her friend from School showed up. It was nice seeing Skye interact with someone her age, in fact it was nice to see Skye not scared. It felt like no time at all had passed since the girl came to live with them, and yet she made so much progress it was mind boggling. "Clint said Fury is keeping him busy..." Natasha trailed off- "Am I bad for considering going? I feel horrible leaving Skye."

Bobbi sighed, running a hand over her face. "Bad? No. Don't join for Clint though."

"Uh, right... The Academics are better over there anyway." Natasha paused as she looked behind her, an odd feeling consuming the air around her.

"Earth to Tash.." Bobbi annoyingly waved her hand in front of her sister. "Huh, what? Oh... Sorry I just felt... Never mind I'm just being silly."

"You're being protective there's a differ..ence.. Tash 6 o'clock." Bobbi said keeping her eyes on her same location. Natasha glanced over swiftly. "I'm not wrong am I?"

Natasha shook her head and lowered her voice. "That creep is watching us. What do we do?"

"Bye Lincoln! Thanks for playin'!" Skye waved goodbye to her friend, the Man started to make his move, gradually moving forward while Skye's back was turned. Bobbi and Natasha had cut him off before he got too close.

"Can we help you creep?" Natasha growled. This man was a threat and as soon as Skye turned around she remembered him from the building. ? Skye thought but didn't reply, her sisters looked worried- she could feel the vibes from their fear.

"Sorry um- y-you see that's my Daughter and-and I'm taking her right here right now." Cal spoke like he was on drugs, he wasn't making sense and looked like he had took something not long ago. "Sorry Pal she's our sister- that being said you need to leave." Natasha took a step forward to emphasize the threat, "Bobbi..." Skye whispered as she tugged on the girls shirt. "We're gonna be fine don't you worry." Bobbi smiled and picked Skye up who's heart was racing. "Bobbi, I'm scared." The little girl tried again as she held on to her sister even tighter.

"L-like I said I'm taking her!" Cal shouted as he pulled out a gun- .44 Magnum.. A revolver didn't seem like the go to on a kidnapping.."I don't want to kill you so don't try and be a Hero. Give me my baby."

Natasha 'dropped' her sunglasses. "Alright alright I'm just going to grab my glasses and everything will be a okay..." Natasha used the brief moment to sprint to the Man threatening to take their sister. One loud shot was all it took. It stopped Natasha in her tracks as she put a hand over her stomach.

Shit... that's a lot of blood. She thought before she collapsed on the ground. The next she heard were screams from both Skye and Bobbi. This was one of those moments her Dad was adamant about downloading that Life 360 app. She wobbly reached for phone and opened the app- she hit 1 button that relayed her location to everyone in the family circle. After that press all she could hear was the muffled sounds and feel the blood pour out. Her body felt numb... She felt numb..

There wasn't much she had remembered before passing out. There was a pain at first followed by the numbness. Her eyes just kind of closed after that. She had known in that moment her own foolishness, she was as good as dead and the last thing she'd hear before she went to the afterlife were the screams of a terrified child who couldn't catch a break.

Why did she have to be a hero? Her mother would be so disappointed that she fell so easily... If her lungs hadn't been filling up with blood she would have tried to say something. But her eyes closed out of their own volition before she could. She was as good as dead.

 

Chapter 11 Sneak Peak- Redacted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello? Is this thing on? Um... *hides*


	11. A Mother’s Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May is in full panic mode as she finds out the severity of the situation before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Now, I know what you're thinking. 'It can't get worse right?' Well, very optimistic reader... Oh dear...

A Mother's Love

Bobbi lifted Skye's motionless body up and made a dash. There was so much blood Bobbi couldn't even tell where it was coming from. Wherever they were- it was like a maze, and with Her severely depraved body for 2 days it made her judgement... questionable. Skye grew even more pale by the second and with a quick glance to the girl the mistake was already made- Bobbi felt a tug on her shoulder and was grabbed and tossed like nothing, effectively throwing Skye in the ground, again like a rag doll.

"THAT is my Daughter! HOW dare you try and take her from me!" Cal snarled, as Bobbi was thrown free into the wall- Skye was on the ground. Skye was face down on the ground and almost didn't look real, until the floor started pooling with blood.

Bobbi slowly stood back up, Willpower being the only thing giving her strength at this point "She's hurt, she needs a doctor!" She yelled with a voice of fury and high concern but course and broken. "I am a Doctor! You... You can't take her from me, you can't. No no no!." Cal began pacing back and forth as he Wildly began swinging his arms "Not again, you can't have Daisy. She's mine! MINE!" Cal charged at Bobbi with that word that held such.. Menace. The older woman hardly had any actual strength in her, she was beyond exhausted and that little scuffle with Garrett was about all she had left...

Why didn't she hang on to the gun? She couldn't help but feel her Mother being disappointed right now. That could've changed everything, Skye could be getting the help she needed right now. Bobbi was foolish, arrogant. That may have cost her dearly, the same arrogance Natasha held.. Had held, she corrected. She had plenty of time to come to terms of her sister being dead while strapped down to a chair for 2 days.

Cal put his hands around Bobbi's neck and started to squeeze. "S-Sk-e" she choked out-this was it.. All of her years of training like her Mother taught her, for what? To end in a horribly cliche moment? If she wasn't being strangled to death she may have thought how incredibly lame this was, Skye needed help, and now she has failed. Bobbi could feel her life Flash between her eyes as she gazed at her sister lying motionless on the ground- her vision was starting to blur. The grip this guy had was unreal, InHuman even.. "I am sorry, I am... But you need to die so she can live with me."

He was nuts.

As Bobbi's eyes slowly started to close and allowed the pitch black void take hold. She prayed someone at least save her sister. Skye deserved so much more. She'd been through too much, this wasn't fair. Every possible turn this little girl had, was abuse. Nuns who never cared for her well-being, Terrified on Animals because of abusive foster homes.. Why wouldn't the universe give her a break?

There was a loud crash followed by the door blown right off the hinges. "Hands off the girl and back away!" Was that... May? Bobbi's vision had nearly blacked out and everything was getting muffled. Whoever it really was, well they were too late.

"Last warning! Unless you want an arrow in the chest!" Alright... that sounded like Clint. Who else lived in the medieval times? Clint was probably the only person to be extremely threatening, and yet sound the least threatening.

"No, touch me and I snap this girls Neck."

"Trust me, I'll kill you before you get the chance. Let her go now."

May glanced over and saw Skye laying in a pool of blood, her heart jumped right through her chest, before feeling like it had stopped completely. "Oh Skye! No no no! Oh God!"

May didn't know what to do.

"EMT en route! Apprehend the suspect" Another older man Bobbi vaguely thought was a cop. She couldn't make coherent sense of the situation.

Bobbi didn't see Cal move his head but she just.. knew, and in a last ditch effort she tried to free herself, Cal was pushed off her and Bobbi gasped for the biggest breath she could muster, before passing out completely.

"Well played, we seem to be at a standstill." Cal chuckled. He still thought he had the advantage here.

"Skye, baby, wake up. You have to wake up, please. Skye open your eyes." May cried on the floor with her little girl. Clint felt a sadness and an anger take over- this Man was responsible for shooting Natasha his love, Kidnapping Bobbi and Skye and who knows what else. This was his family. "Please, don't take her from me." May whispered as she held her little girl tight. "You can't take her from me, she's my baby. She's been through too much."

Clint did the only sensible thing- under direct orders he was given the order shoot to kill. He drew an arrow from his quiver and took aim with his bow. He wasn't even looking at Cal- just staring at the pool of blood in front of him, he released his arrow. He knew his arrow hit his mark. They always did. He didn't aim for a vital spot though, maybe it was a weakness within Clint. Death seemed to easy for this Man. The Coulsons were more or less his Family. You don't mess with Family.

The next 5 minutes were the longest 5 minutes of May's life while they waited for the EMT.

They were both alive, But Skye was in... well she was in horrible condition. She lost a lot of blood and hardly had a pulse, and those were the things they knew. Skye looked like a corpse by time they had her in the ambulance.

"Ma'am- Your daughter. What's her blood type?" May froze as the ambulance picked up speed. "I uh-I- I don't know she.. O-Positive I think.." the paramedic nodded slowly. "I know it's hard ma'am I've managed to get the bleeding to stop but she's lost a lot of blood-" the nurse stopped her words when the machinery began to show her heart rate was spiking sporadically. "Bruce! Speed up, she's spiking!" The paramedic had to force oxygen into the girls system for the next 60 seconds-The paramedic yelled as the monitors began to flat-line..

The ambulance came to an abrupt stop.. they must've gotten to the Hospital..

Oh God... her baby girls heart had stopped.

"Oh No, Skye please no!" May cried, "Stand back!" The paramedic pushed May gently out of the way and pushed the back doors open. A bunch of nurses came rushing over- "get her into the E.R immediately- her heart stopped approximately 90 seconds out."

This couldn't be happening...

This can't happen..

Skye deserved so much more than this... So why? Why at every turn was this girl faced with an impossible amount of dead ends? Her 3 girls were in the hospital... 2 of them were now battling for their lives.

May did the first reaction that popped into her head- she ran after her baby.

She only made it as far as the door to the E.R. "I'm sorry you have to wait here."

More nurses and Doctors rushed in.

No... Oh God No...

May was usually calm, composed, collective- but everything that was happening she broke... she fell to the floor crying hysterically. What else could she do anyway? Natasha was still in surgery and now Skye... and Bobbi..

May was left wondering if she did everything she could. She was confident when she assembled a rescue team that she could forcefully let the old Melinda May out. But that's not what happened- If anything seeing what she saw with Natasha and after the initial shock wore off followed by her other 2 little girls... hurt.. It just brought the Mother out in here even more- and yes Melinda wasn't the biological Mother of these children but that didn't mean she could ever love them any less.

"Mrs. Coulson? I'm Doctor Steven Strange." May jumped up from her seat instantly, dread filling her with worst case scenarios. "My baby..?"

"She's alive, she has what is known as Traumatic Pneumothorax, fancy name for a collapsed lung. The built up pressure from her injury was enough to stop her heart. It's rare but it's something that happens- however..." Doctor Strange paused, May knew he had more to tell. "However...? Please- what else?"

The Doctor took a deep breath. "I'm afraid your Daughter is in a Coma. She took a nasty hit on her head, which leads me to believe once the swelling goes down she should wake up. I'm afraid we have to monitor her closely, she's a fighter- but she's not out of the woods yet. I've never seen quite an injury like this with a child and survive."

May nodded numbly at the Doctor. Her little girl was a fighter- May knew that the minute Phil and Her decided to bring her home.

"Where do we go from here? You'll have to forgive me for freaking out. 3 out of 4 kids I have are currently in this hospital unconscious." May wiped a tear that threatened to spill over.

"Natasha-Romanov-Coulson - 17 Gun shot wound 2 Days ago, is in recovery. Barbara-Morse-Coulson - 25(check) - crushed Larynx- unconscious in recovery. And Mary-Sue-Poots-" May cut the Doctor off abruptly "Skye, her name is Skye." Doctor Strange looked puzzled "She hates that name and won't respond to it-" May smiled briefly as a few more tears fell "We were going to surprise her after they came back from the park. Legally changed name and official adoption. " May held back a sob at the thought. "Right.. You can go in and sit with her.. I'll go find your husband."

Skye was on the other side of the building in the pediatric wing.

Skye opened her eyes confused. She didn't remember where she was... It was dark.. "H...Hello?" She called out in fear.. No response, and she was scared, terribly so. Where was she? Where was her family? Had they left her again? "Stupid Mary-Sue, did you actually think anyone wanted you?" A familiar voice called out.. She shuttered at the voice, Lars Jackson. One of the people who had tormented and tortured her the most. "Here you are, all alone again. You disgust me Mary, how can you not see no one ever liked you, no one ever will like you. You're a freak!"

This couldn't be real Skye thought, it couldn't. Lars Jackson was the worst kind of person. Tears poured down her face is a long stream at the words she had used to hear every single day. "Crying again are we freak?" Where was her Mom, her Dad, her Family? "Mommy!" Skye cried out, Lars let out a devilish laugh, as though the terror was some kind of delight. "That's cute Mary, you have no family remember? The last Family you had were killed because of you."

This was all wrong, Skye knew it. But before she had time to question it she was... Somewhere else... She was back at the Orphanage. "Mary-Sue, why do you keep coming back here?" One of the sisters asked.

Why did she keep coming back? Why couldn't Skye be a perfect fit for a family? Years of being crammed into her brain about God and how 'God is Love' and yet here Skye was, literally beaten and abandoned and she couldn't help but think to herself, what kind of God condemns a child through this kind of torture? "Where's my Mommy?" Skye choked out as the tears continued to fall. One of the sisters head tilted in a weird way "Oh... You killed them. God has created such a cruel monster."

And as soon as the words left the nuns mouth everything began to blur and blend around until she was standing over... "BOBBI! Tasha!?" Those were her sisters laying down on the ground covered in blood. Skye threw herself on the ground and began shaking them. "Please, please please wake up. I want to go home." They never woke up though, until the room around her blended around again. This time however she was at home... Everything seemed normal... "Mommy? Daddy?" Skye didn't hear any footsteps but she quietly made her way up the stairs. Tiptoeing to Natasha's room as quiet as a mouse.

"MARY-SUE! What have I told you about coming into my room!?" Natasha snapped in a fierce rage. Skye recoiled back at the snap, she'd never seen Natasha so mad before. "I'm sorry. I can't find Mommy or Daddy." At least that much was the worth. Natasha just tilted her head in confusion. "You killed them too Mary, they're dead all because of you, EVERYTHING is always your fault!" Natasha stood up and shoved Skye into the wall, hard. Everything went silent and dark as Skye reached for her head... It felt warm and wet.

Where was she? Would she ever wake up from this nightmare? Skye wanted her Mom.. Her Dad... She wanted the warm feeling of love they gave her, not this cold dark place of hellish memories.

Bobbi was sitting in the waiting room for word from her Mom or Dad on someone's condition. The Doctor had said she was fine, she'd be sore for a while sure- but she walked away pretty much unscathed. "Bobbi?" The girl lifted her head up to see her father. "Dad! Is Tasha alright?!" Tears were pouring out without any warning to her, Phil put his hands up. "She's a fighter you know that, I removed the bullet and did everything I could. She's alive." He put his hands on her shoulder and smiled. "Your Mother and sister?" He asked.

Bobbi shook her head. "I can't go in Dad, I can't. How can I look Mom in the face knowing how badly I failed her? She probably hates me. Skye will probably hate me!"

"Barbara... You know better. Your Mother loves you dearly, she isn't capable of hate. What happened was terrible but you did what you had to do to survive. I'm not going to say things would've gone the same had you done something different. You did what you needed to do."

"But.. I killed a man. Daddy, how can I forgive myself? I couldn't protect her!"

Phil let out a small sigh. " I won't lie to you. That's something you're going to have to live with for the rest of your life. That's why I never wanted you... Any of you in SHIELD. I never wanted you to know the burden of taking a life. But just know that I love you, you did what you needed to protect you sister. You're both alive because of you. Barbara Morse-Coulson, I am so proud of you."

Bobbi let out a small sob. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I never once blamed you for any of this. You're so strong but I know how emotional you are too sweetie. I'll say it one time, and you'll probably hear the same thing from your Mom. This was not your fault, we love you the same- if not more for what you did keeping Skye alive."

Phil wondered... He heard Natasha say Skye freed her. "How did Skye get you free? Wasn't she being watched?"

"She told me her friend snuck in and Freed her. Grant Ward. I never saw him though."

"We can worry about that later, lets go see your mom." Bobbi wiped the tears off her face even though he eyes were all red and puffy she followed her dad to the door.

As the two opened the door they saw May sitting on the side of the hospital bed with tears pouring down her face looking at Skye who looked even tinier hooked up to machines. Bobbi tried to back away but felt a small tug from her father. "Mel." Phil's voice was soft and gentle. May looked up diligently and immediately saw how red Bobbi's eyes were. May wasn't a fool, she stood up from her chair and rushed over to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Bobbi. Thank you so much. I'm so glad you're okay."

Maybe Bobbi misunderstood her Mom behind her sobs. "Aren't you mad at me?" She tried to fight the tears this time but she couldn't stop them. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry mom."

May pulled back a bit and scrunched her face. "You're sor-... sorry? Bobbi, you saved Skye's life. You know I know what you're going through. Everything you did lead to Skye being alive. You can't worry about what-ifs. I did for years I always wondered what I could've done different. And sweetie I'm telling you... You have nothing to regret."

"I love you mom."

A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders knowing her mom wasn't furious with her. "My girls are fighters. You just wait, Skye will wake up."

It was almost like May wasn't trying to convince herself honestly, she was holding it together, but just barely. "I gave Skye's social worker a call. She was visiting Family is England and is getting a flight here as soon as she can but they've been having bad weather over there."

Phil nodded and carefully walked over to Skye and took a seat, examining the vitals from the Monitor. "What did the Doctor say?" He asked keeping his eyes on the machine.

"He said she's in a coma and is likely to wake up when the swelling goes down. Why?"

"Bobbi, go fetch the Doctor for me."

"Phil?"

"Dad?"

"Do it now Bobbi." His words left no room for argument and Bobbi made a quick dash for the door.

"Her heart rate is way too low Mel and it's dropping. That's not a good sign."

"Phil, what are you talking about?"

"I just want the Doctor to double check her. I don't think my heart can handle anymore catastrophic problems today."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Um... Don't hurt me?


	12. Three Days of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More panic rises from Melinda as worry crosses her over the state of her daughters. Three days.. Three of the worst days of her life. When will Skye wake up? Will she wake up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst has only just beguuuuun.
> 
> For real though, hit me up with a review, yell at me if you gotta. *hides*

Three days... Maybe May should be counting her blessings, Bobbi was awake and the best out of her kids. Natasha had woken up and was allowed to be moved down to where Skye was (per her request). But Skye... Well, she was still unconscious and that didn't help the anxiety that dwelled within May and Phil. Hunter wasn't allowed to leave even under this emergency- so every few hours either May or Phil would call or text him with any updates. He couldn't have picked a worse time to leave. Roughly 2 days, 6 hours, and 35 minutes ago Skye was in stable condition after her last attack. 2 days ago Skye was looking better until she had what the doctors said a 'Mild Stroke'.

She was doing better, still in her coma from her injury, unaware if, and when she would wake. May cried for days, her world was turned upside down. At least she knew Bobbi and Natasha were alive and would be okay, Hunter was at the academy. But Skye... She's been a wildcard and filled with unpredictability. May wasn't a religious person, but she prayed every night her little girl woke up and would be okay.

Phil opened the door carrying a tray of food, Natasha was sitting in a wheelchair(she still wasn't allowed much movement) next to Skye, and May was right beside her- whispering what he assumed to be Mandarin to Skye in her slumber.

"I should be angry." Natasha whispered as she clenched her fist into a ball, almost wincing from the pain. May looked over to the girl who's face showed pure confliction. "I couldn't protect her. I didn't even see the gun until it was too late. I .. I should be furious." Natasha's face warped for a moment, she was trying to mask her pain- the weakness she felt. "But I'm not. All I see is Skye and Bobbi being taken, Me in a pool of my own blood, choking on it as it filled my lungs- watching as they drive away. But why aren't I angry? Skye won't wake up.. W-why?" The young redhead looked over to her Mother with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mays voice cracked, "Sometimes-.. Love has a funny way of messing with your feelings."

"If that really was her dad, what kind of dad does what he did to their daughter? I don't... She's so innocent it's not fair!"

"It's not fair, she's been through so much, but you need to worry about yourself right now. You still need to heal." That was Phil's voice, glad to have some words of encouragement. "She's tough, and a fighter. She beat everything up until now, and she'll continue to do so. The best thing we can do is give her our love."

Phil was right, The swelling in Skye's head has gone down, now it was just waiting- praying that there was still that little girl that became accepting she was safe left inside. In the three days of waiting May had stressed herself with injuries with the head and what side affects could occur.

"I think Bobbi is still outside. You two eat, I'm going to send her home." Natasha and May softly nodded as Phil set the tray of food down.

They refused hospital food, and who could blame them? So by request(more of a demand) for real food.. Fast food, Natasha was well enough to where she could eat food now- so she was going to eat.

"Fries and Ice cream?" May questioned as Natasha grabbed her order from her bag. "You try and tell me that McDonalds fries and ice cream dipping isn't magical... Besides I need all the comfort food I can get. And I'll be sure to make sure Skye gets her favorite when she wakes up." Natasha said with a small smile.

There was no argument.

May munched on her order, 4 piece nugget and fries, a favorite she learned of Skye's- secretly praying a familiar scent would wake her up, if not her voice.

Nothing...

"Clint, I appreciate everything you did but you both need to rest too. Take Bobbi home please, and get yourself some rest kid. You've gone above and beyond for this family."

"Dad.."

"You are family to me." Clint cut Bobbi off, " I'll make sure she gets home safe. Please call if anything changes."

"Will do."

The images flashed through May like a freight train at full speed. She didn't see everything but what she did see was a pale Skye lying in a pool of blood unresponsive and Bobbi- being choked out by a madman. May took her phone out and dialed a number she never thought she'd call again, Maria hill. Someone she had respected more than anyone, but someone she had cut away when she had left that old life behind. "Hello?"

"Maria- I need a favor."

"Melinda? You have a lot of nerve, you haven't called in years."

"I had to Maria you know that better than most, I needed to leave, I couldn't stand with what I had done. Maria please."

There was an audible sigh over the phone. "What do you need?"

"I need everything you have on a Calvin Johnson, he worked within SHIELD- I need to know if he had a daughter- Daisy."

"There's medical records of a Cal Johnson, wife was a John Doe. Where are you? I can bring you the files."

"At the hospital. Maria please keep this between us."

"Does she like any stories?" Natasha suddenly asked her Mother, May looked over to her Daughter with a questionable eyebrow- at first glance Natasha seemed like she was in a decent deal of pain. "I- uh.. I read that familiar things could help trauma patients wake up." Natasha finished as she put her hand to her side.

"Let me call the Doctor for that pain."

Natasha shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You're definitely not fine, besides you're probably due to have those bandages changed anyway." May clicked a button to call in someone.

After a few minutes Dr. Steven Strange walked in. "Oh Doctor Strange! Any news?" May quickly asked, forgetting her reason for calling the doctor in the first place. Dr. Strange sifted through some charts. "Her Brain scan does show signs of the swelling going down. Realistically she could wake up at any moment. From there... well- from the police report she's been through a lot even beforehand, so we need to take it slow. She'll probably be extremely disoriented. And that's what we know, Head trauma can cause so many things."

He was right though, May did countless amounts of research in side effects of what's happened. Not mentioning the actual trauma itself, but actual side effects of being thrown and smashing into the wall. Bobbi had been very explicit in detail. Poor girl blamed herself, Melinda couldn't help. She felt for the girl though- she didn't blame Bobbi. No, how could she? They were taken, and all the training in the world is just that- training. It's meant to prepare you for anything- but when you're thrown into an impossible circumstance what could you do?

Survive. That was the answer, live to fight another day- and that's exactly what these kids did- all three of them survived.

"Thank you Doctor." May stifled a smile

"Just doing my Job." Doctor Strange quickly said as he left the room, passing Phil as he made his way back in.

"Just in time Phil, close that door and help Natasha to the bed. Her bandage needs to be changed." May ordered as she moved her body on the bed next to Skye. "I think I'll lie with her for a while." Phil nodded while Natasha groaned .

"I don't-" Natasha started as Phil lifted his Daughter from the Chair. "Ow!" She grimaced from the pain.

"Sorry. I didn't tear the stitches did I?" Phil questioned. Natasha shook her head, "I don't think so. You could be a little easier, No?" Phil shrugged, he hadn't done it in purpose.

It was nice that Skye wasn't hooked up to so many machines as apposed to a few days ago. Her oxygen was a little low so she's had a nasal cannula attached. But from Doctor Strange she is improving. It was a waiting game now. Once her baby girl woke up is when she'd deal with the man who did this.

"I know what you're thinking about Melinda.. You can't."

"Why not Phil!?" May snapped

"Mel, you know why. This isn't Bahrain, we can fix this." His words soft and clear but Melinda heard them as hard and volatile. "Don't bring that up now, I did what I had to, back then it was an order to save those lives,by any means."

"And you've been haunted of those kids every day. I'm not wrong- I see it. We have 4 beautiful kids... 3 actually, Hunter isn't that handsome but don't tell him."

Yes... As May laid with her still sleeping Daughter she began to close her eyes, these last few days she had hardly slept(who could blame her) , Natasha and Phil made sure to be quiet as he changed the bandages around the wound(that was healing nicely) and made their way out of the room, to give their May some much needed rest.

May was brought back to that fateful night that changed everything, in her dreams- and for years to come she was unable to change the outcome- unable to save the Kids.. She tried, really she did but her efforts were always in vein.

She remembered the emotionless expressions before the first explosion. Mays body had decided what she was going to do before her brain did, of course she knew she had to protect her team... protect those in danger. She needed to be the Shield to protect those unable to protect themselves. She drew her gun. In that moment the Cavalry was born.

Someone was rubbing her face... Their hands felt tiny against her skin. May opened her eyes and saw Skye's hazel eyes staring at her. Her baby girl was awake. She... May thought she may never wake up. Was this a dream?

"Skye?" May called out quietly trying not to startle the girl.

The young girl nodded slowly but didn't verbally respond.

Why wouldn't she talk?

"Baby? You're okay, it's Me." Skye grabbed Mays arm and held tight and closed her eyes.

"Skye, please say something. I need to know you're okay."

May waited a moment before speaking again after noticing Skye made no effort. "Anything. You're safe now." Mays voice cracked at the end and tears began to pour down the woman's face.

Skye opened her eyes and looked up, May... Her Mom was looking down with her eyes closed. Skye could still see the tears trailing their way down her face. "M-mommy?" She said quietly. Mays eyes jolted open and looked at the girl. "Oh! My little one!"

Not even 5 minutes had passed before Natasha had wheeled her way through. "Hey Mom- Dad had to stop home any change on-... Skye?! You're awake!" Natasha's voice was filled with comfort and love but tears streamed down Skyes face as well too now, "Skye I'm so so so sorry- this is all my fault... All of it!"

Skye shook her head, Natasha couldn't be further from the truth. "It n-not your f-fault..." Skye paused as she felt betrayed... Not by a person.. Well her body.. something seemed off- more so than usual.

"What's this? She's awake?" A voice behind Natasha at the doors entrance spoke it. "Doctor Strange, she just woke up."

Strange nodded and walked over to the bed. "Hi Skye, I'm Doctor Steven Strange. I know you've been through a lot but can you tell me if anything hurts?"

The doctor didn't seem mean, so Skye was slightly relieved at that. " My h-head" she pointed to the side of her head where the pain was. Doctor Strange frowned. "Skye this might be a little odd but I'd like you to copy what I'm about to say, okay?" Doctor Strange looked over to May, they had to rule out some possibilities from the trauma and the minor stroke. Brain damage itself was the main concern.

Skye scrunched up her face in confusion. She couldn't make anything going on. "Just repeat after me... My favorite superhero is- and fill in the rest."

Skye looked at May as though she was wondering what she should be doing. But May nodded. "My f-favorite super h-hero I-is C-captain A-America." Tears fell down the girls face.

Maybe she was broken now, like a toy. If toys took enough damage they break and if you bend and twist a toy a certain way it can never go back to its old shape. That much made sense to a 7 year old. She was now the broken toy. She just couldn't talk now.

May pulled her little girl in and hugged her.

"This may not be permanent. Just so we're clear this is from the accident, The stroke itself doesn't seem to have caused any permanent damage. But-" Doctor Strange paused slightly. "That means she must've had some kind of traumatic experience in the past that really pushed this."

May looked down at Skye and frowned, Andrew had warned that this could happen. Skye was taken from safety and was terrified... saw things she shouldn't have.. was hurt... "She's had some bad homes before us." May paused and looked back at the Doctor. "When she came to live with us... She was scared, terrified even. She's had some horrible experiences."

Doctor Strange nodded. He understood the pains of a troubled past. "You know Skye, I used to be a surgeon. But I had an accident too." Skye looked up at the Doctor. "R-really?"

"Really, it took me a long time to get where I am now."

"I want to g-go h-home." Skye sniffled as she turned her head back to May. "I don't l-like Hospitals."

"I know little one, and I promise we'll go home as soon as you're cleared."

(Line break)

Skye tried not to talk for the majority of the day. She sucked at a lot of things... at least that's what previous foster homes engraved into her head- May and Phil had been pretty adamant that she could do anything... except talk apparently- one thing she was good at- taken from her...

When the door creaked opened Skye saw Phil with a police officer. "Is this her?" The officer asked Phil who have a firm nod. "Hi Skye, I'm Officer Anderson. I need your help."

Skye looked confused, how could she be of any help? "M-me?" She asked curiously, hating herself slightly more at the stumble of her own words.

"I need you to tell me if this was the man took you and your sister." Officer Anderson said as he pulled a picture of Cal and Garrett. Skye's breath hitched as the pictures flooded memories back. "He c-called m-me D-Daisy." She pointed to Cal as her eyes began to swim. May rubbed the girls back in a soothing manner. "Take your time.." she said biting her lip, the things she wanted to do to this man...

"A-after he t-took us I w-woked u-up. He c-called m-me d-Daisy, and h-he said he w-was m-my D-daddy." The tears were pouring out now, which only seemed to make her newly discovered stutter worse in her emotional state, but Skye looked at Phil, who seemed to be holding back tears himself. "B-but you're m-my d-daddy."

Phil could've cried right there if he wasn't trying to be strong. Skye had never officially called him anything of the sort before. He knew deep down Skye cared for him but she did have her reasons for being so skeptical of who she could and couldn't trust. "I am?" Phil questioned, gently in a manner of uncertainty. He had always wanted to be a Dad to this girl like he had been with his other kids.

May moved her hand over to Skye's face and gently wiped the tears. "D-daddy's are s-suppose' to m-make you safe." Skye confirmed

"I make you feel safe?"

Skye nodded and Phil was moving toward the bed and pulling the girl into a small hug. After a moment and their hug broke Skye looked at Phil with concern. "D-don't c-cry d-daddy."

Was Phil crying? He hadn't even noticed honestly. "I'm sorry baby. I'm just so happy to see all my kids safe now. No more crying for anyone, even Mommy. You need to rest up."

Skye wasn't going to argue- this was the safest she had felt in a while... The girl knew her words were different than before. She was relieved that no one mentioned it though.

When Skye told the Doctor her head hurt and her arm he had given her some medicine to help her relax and dull the pain- she was out and surprisingly snoring loudly. "It was a mild sedative. She'll be out for a few hours. In the meantime I'd like your consent to run some brain scans while she sleeps. We took some preliminary tests after we got her stable but now, now we would like to take a few more and get a general idea of what exactly we are dealing with."

May stayed silent, Phil however was ready, willing, and able. "Of course, whatever you need."

They said their farewells to the Police Officer. The case was more or less closed. "Phil." Mays tone shifted. "I need you to stay here with Natasha and Skye, and call me if anything changes."

Phil glared at his wife. They've been married for years, he knew by now when she was close to her breaking point. "Don't do it." He pleaded in a tone barely above a whisper.

"I have to. I need to know why he nearly killed 3 of my children."

"I know that's not what you're planning. Don't let the anger take control."

Melinda growled, he didn't get it.. "Why Not?! He deserves to die. He shouldn't be allowed to breath the same air. Maybe I will kill him, maybe I won't. I'm getting answers regardless."

"You're not a killer."

"Bahrain begs to differ."

Phil wasn't surprised when she brought that up. He knew it still haunted her.

With Skye sleeping and her reassurance that she wouldn't be left alone, May decided for once- in all of these years she finally does something for her, something selfish. Whether or not it included blood at the end was entirely up to the one responsible for this.

May opened the door with force. She had read the file, the things this monster did- but she kept her composure. May closed the door behind her and took a seat, in front of her chained to the table in cuffs was the man responsible for hurting his children.

She sat there, her glare never leaving the man, she didn't speak- and neither did he. "You're missing a partner if you're meant to be playing 'good cop bad cop' you know." Cal grinned ear to ear, and Mays stomach twisted.

"Calvin Zabo, it took some digging to find your real name. You did well to hide who you are." May opened a folder she had placed on the table. " We've got you for a lot, assuming you don't get the death penalty you'll get life behind bars. You tell me why you did what you did- we'll strike a deal."

"Deal? Do you take me for a fool, you monsters took my daughter from me."

Mays face twisted, the memory of her little girl on the floor... "The 'Daughter' that you put in a coma. You're responsible for what you did to her. Yeah I know you're her biological father- but you'll never see her again unless you tell me why."

Cal's face dropped, the devilish smile he previously held now nowhere to be found.

"I.. I didn't want to hurt her, I just wanted my daughter back."

If May didn't read his file... His real files then she might have actually felt bad, but this man has killed dozens of people, his wife included. "I tried to get her back years ago. The...Men I hired found her and broke into some Home. After that I lost her... Until I saw her with you, I knew it was Daisy."

No... He was responsible for... No, May couldn't think about that right now. "Skye isn't safe with you."

"That's not her name!" Cal screeched as he slammed his hands on the cold metal table.

"It's the name she choose. You abandoned her as an infant. No name, nothing. Did you know the nuns are the Orphanage she lived at named her Mary Sue Poots? Or the fact that 9 times out of 10 a home she went to was bad?"

Maybe on a deep level May could understand the fact of doing anything to get their Children back. Losing a child can break you... May knew that all too well.

"I'll tell you what. New deal, you confess to everything you did. In return I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Cal liked the sound of that, he knew he was going away for a long time. "Deal."

It'd been 8 hours since Skye awoke. Phil had picked up rather quickly they seemed to be rushing tests. Doctor Strange had all but disappeared now and new doctors were rushing for Skye's release, as well as Natasha, Phil had found it rather odd but as long as he could take his Daughters home where they could be closely monitored was fine by him.

"Come on Skye. You let them finish this test and we get to go home." Phil gently spoke, one of the nurses was trying to draw some blood since she had woken up- it seemed Skye had developed a fear of needles. "N-No!" She protested in anger. "Malutyka..." Natasha warned. "It's one quick needle and then we get to leave. "

It'd became obvious if Skye's fear of needles, and a fear of hospitals in general.. That much became obvious very quickly. They'd finished her scans before she had woken up and everything came back normal. Doctor Strange explained that the stutter was from the combination of physical and emotional trauma. Skye would need a speech therapist, along with a regular. Fortunately they knew one of the best. "No M-more!" Skye yelled in frustration. "Skye, you said you wanted to go home. Mom is already waiting for you. The sooner you do this, the faster we can see her."

Skye stared at Natasha for a minute as she tried to accept the words. "It'll be just a small pinch, here hold my hand." Natasha offered the girl her hand, Skye gracefully took hold. "Squeeze tight and close your eyes." Skye did as she was told. "Now open."

When Skye opened her eyes she saw the nurse putting a bandage on her arm, it was a bright and colorful bandage. "See, was that so bad?"

Skye shook her head, grateful that Natasha had helped her through the fear. "We c-can go h-home n-now right?"

Natasha offered a soft smile, it pained her to see her baby sister struggle. In fact Natasha could see Skye herself was frustrated with every failed word. It was a constant reminder that, she had failed to be a big sister. If this gunshot was anything to go by. She was arrogant and foolish. She could never forgive herself. "Yeah, let's go." Their Dad spoke up from the door.

After both Skye and Natasha were officially discharged, a certain Red Head was instructed on taking it easy- more so than Skye. The newly reunited family were driving- Natasha sat in the back with Skye next to her seat. Skye noticed Natasha was holding her side, she couldn't help but feel sad. If that crazy man was telling the truth, everything that happened was her fault. "Everything alright?" Natasha asked Skye as she stared at her younger sister. Her eyes filled with a deep sadness.

Skye didn't audibly respond, she just shook her head in fear if she did talk, she'd just end up crying. "You can talk to us you know. I know things are weird right now, but the way we all feel about each other hasn't changed." Skye supposed that was true, but that didn't really help calm her nerves. Instead Skye pointed to her sisters wound.

Oh.. Did.. Did Skye blame herself?

"You were not responsible for this."

"Skye, your sisters right. None of this is your fault." Her newly acclaimed Dad said from the front seat.

Of course she didn't believe them.

"Bad people did this Skye, this." Natasha motioned to her wound, "this was My trying to be what I thought I could be- a hero. All of this is my fault. If I was faster than-"

"No! H-he wanted m-me! H-he d-did all o-of t-this f-for me!" Skye didn't mean to shout, it just happened- along with the tears that followed her sudden outburst.

Natasha saw her Dad viewing from the mirror, she knew that she needed to set Skye straight. "Maluytuka, I know it's hard to understand right now- but this, this wasn't your fault. He was a bad man and we tried to protect you. You're a kid who's been through way too much." Natasha paused and took a deep breath. "Skye, where I come from... I know what it's like to live with bad people, I know what it's like for those people to convince you that they are more important than yourself. When I came here to America I.. I was angry and scared. But when I came to live with Mom and Dad." Natasha looked up and saw her Dad nod as he kept his eyes on the road. "They taught me that everything that happened, was on them."

Skye took a shuttering breath and wiped her eyes. "W-what about m-my old h-home?"

Was she asking what happened to her last care giver? "He passed away, he'll never hurt you again." Phil spoke gently from the front. "He's sleeping, forever." Natasha finished for him as she saw slight confusion on Skye's face. "N-no.. T-the b-bennets."

Natasha's parents told her about Skye's traumatic event. "None of that was your fault either. You were just a baby." It was true honestly, but she just couldn't accept it.

"B-but I s-still see I-it. E-every n-night."

"You have nothing to fear Skye. There was a special reason I've been away lately. We found the men who broke into your house that night. Turns out a lot of people were looking for them, and they'll be going behind bars for the rest of their lives. No one will ever hurt you again."

Phil stated as a matter of fact as they pulled into the driveway.

"Listen. Both of you... You've been through a horrific event. I know I sound like a broken record at this point but you guys have got to understand- This House... There is no safer place." Phil took a second and paused as he turned his read around. "We've never given any of you a reason not to trust us."

Well, he was right. Natasha knew that, and Skye... She 'was' learning that. But now everything was different all over again. She thought she'd be used to things changing constantly. She was used to Abuse- for the most part of her life it was just emotional. But on rare occasions she'd get beaten. Eventually she had grown to accept that too- the words of 'you deserve this' had become all but too familiar to her- and she believed it. Have someone sing the same tune over and over again you would naturally believe it.

That meant eventually at a young age though Skye had given up hope. She had a nice family before... But it was really after that night, as young as she was- realized nothing would ever be the same. Maybe it was the event that made her lose that innocence, but what really mattered in the end was she wasn't the same after that night. As far as she knew, those people were never found, though she never really had asked anybody either, until now anyway- but that... That didn't bring any clarity. Years of that being drilled into your mind, and the constant bullying once word got around. It made Skye angry. Some people would call her violent, but she never did those things. She yelled a lot for a good while. Until fear just stuck, fear was a common factor for anyone- let it sit around and it builds and grows, until it becomes unbearable... And that's exactly what she did, because no one had taught her otherwise. Everyone blamed her, even the nuns. She was alone for so long. All she wanted was a real family.

Skye looked sadly at her Dad. Everything seemed like too much now. She couldn't even talk properly... She hated herself more than ever before, and that usually made her angry. Skye wasn't sure she was ever angry here yet..

"Skye? Are you ready?" Skye snapped back from her thoughts to her dads soft words.

She wasn't sure anything could ever be the same again but she was pretty sure she could add kidnapped to her list.

What could she say? She was probably the furthest thing from ready, but Natasha looked ready to go back in the house, and she was shot! Tears filled her eyes without her even realizing. "Skye, honey what's wrong?" Phil questioned. All Skye had wanted before was to go home, clinging to the hope that there was at least one safe place left. But she didn't feel that. She felt nothing, well- she felt nothing but fear and anger.

"D-daddy." The single word was simple, yet it was filled with sadness. Phil and Natasha felt it hit like a 12 gauge. "Malyutka, we're going to be fine now. We are Home." Natasha grabbed her sisters hand and wiped Skye's tears with her other. "You're both so incredibly safe. I know it's different Skye. But this home hasn't changed. Besides your mom is waiting for you, we have a surprise." The little girls head perked up, she had forgotten. "What S-surprise?"

Phil let out a soft chuckle, "Well, we have to go inside to find out silly. Are you ready?"

Skye gave a weak smile and a nod. She really just wanted her Mom, but that seemed a little embarrassing to admit.

Skye didn't know what to expect honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted more change.

Skye made sure to hold her Dads hand. She knew it was silly to be scared of what could happen from the car to the door, but he said she was safe. She still didn't feel it but she decided to trust her dad. When they walked into the house Skye had expected everything to change, but the house was exactly like it was before. "Hey Skye, welcome home." Bobbi greeted her sister from the stairs. She hadn't had a chance to see Bobbi since... She didn't want to think about it, "Hi B-bobby." She gave a shy wave. "Mom and I have something upstairs for you, wanna come?"

Skye looked up to her Dad who had carried Natasha into the house, he gave a curt nod. "Your Mom should be up there too." That was all the encouragement she needed to see her Mom and made her way to Bobbi.

In a few seconds they were at Skye's door. Closed and decorated. In bright glitter it said SKYE on it and all around the words were clouds, and the door itself was painted blue. "The doors only part of the surprise. The real surprise is behind the door."

Skye nodded as she opened the door slowly, she was nervous- there were so many changes she wasn't sure she could handle another one, but when she opened the door she was hit with an array of colors. Her walls were decorated like her door, blue walls with white clouds all around it, and her bed had the stars just like in the sky at nighttime, Skye was speechless. "Do you like it?" Her Mom asked from inside the room? And for once tears of Joy and happiness streamed down her face. "I l-l-love it."

May and Bobbi beamed, "I'm glad you like it, there's one more thing though. Bobbi turn the lights off please."

Bobbi closed the door and turned the light off, and as soon as the light went out a small fade of stars cast across the walls and ceiling."It's even brighter at nighttime."

Skye's smiled deepend, "T-Thank you."

"You're very welcome baby, you absolutely deserved this. Now, let's go join everyone else."


	13. A Nightly Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and her family are finally home, safe and content as they help the little girl adjust to everything that’s just happened. But is she really safe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hi! Please don't kill me, thanks! Also, hit up those reviews. Because you know, I'm a Monster.

A Nightly Routine

Skye had kept quiet most of the day, she was excited about her new room, but despite all of the constant reassurances she didn't feel safe. Especially when it came to going to bed... by herself, but she knew she had to be big. "I know it's been a rough few days but you do need some sleep baby." Mays voice seemed tired herself. Skye had cuddled or otherwise stayed attached to May at any point throughout the day. If there was ONE constant, it was May wouldn't hurt her. "M-Mommy."

God May just wanted to cry, but what right did she have crying when it was her sweet little one struggling? Her little girl was struggling so hard. Of course she knew despite this abduction and stutter, she had to treat Skye the same, give her extra time to finish what she was saying.

"Come on little one, up on the bed so I can read you a story. We'll have plenty of time for cuddles tomorrow."

Skye wanted to protest, but she also didn't want to speak. May knew she had to have a conversation, at length about it. First she needed to figure out what she wanted to say. Skye climbed into her new bed. The colors were so bright and her new lamp light bounced around the walls around her room. "O-okay M-mommy." Skye covered herself with her covers, quickly covering her hands. May thought she saw a slight tremble in her hands but she was just as tired as Skye. So May took out a new story, The Cat In The Hat.

It didn't take long for Skye to fall asleep, once May was sure she was sleeping she had checked on Bobbi and Natasha. Bobbi had elected to stay with Natasha for a few more days since she was given more time to be home, and keep an eye on her sisters, then she made her way to her bed. "Did she fall asleep?" Phil asked as he was getting into bed himself.

May nodded, "A little struggle but I know she's so overwhelmed. Are we pushing our luck putting a baby monitor in her room?"

"I think it's the right call. I know she's not a baby. But we need to make sure she's okay. We need to hear her."

Phil was right, of course he was. "She wouldn't leave your side all day, huh?"

May shrugged her shoulders as she threw herself on the bed. "She's terrified, and she's trying not to show it. I'm wondering if we took her home too soon, I think she's hiding something, something to do with her hands. They looked like they were shaking." Phil leaned over and kissed the top of May's forehead. "She needs to be home, with us. She's been through enough and it's no shocker that she didn't like it there. She freaked out when they tried to draw blood from her, that could just be a stress tick. Let's just keep an eye on it for now."

"Aren't we overstepping with her privacy though?" May asked quietly as she leaned into the bed closer to Phil. "You heard the doctor, closely monitored. She's scared and angry with herself. She even blames herself. On top of all that she's even having trouble with words now. She needs to be in a safe environment now more than ever."

May nodded and wiped a tear that had managed to fall from her face. "Why her though?"

"I don't know Mel. You never did tell me how it went with her... 'Father'" Phil air quoted.

"He's a nut. But in his mind he thought he was really helping Skye. At least we know her Birth Name though. SHIELD will take care of him, and with enough luck we won't ever see him again."

May looked over to her clock on the nightstand. "It's still early.." She raised an eyebrow to Phil. "Melinda, what are you implying?" He questioned with a smirk. He knew exactly what she meant. "We've been blessed, despite everything our girls they're home and safe. You and me need a little... us time." May was smirking now as she leaned close to Phil as they locked lips.

Skye wasn't sure what time it was. But she remembered she woke up crying hard, screaming even. She didn't know how long she had been crying for but as soon as she was actually awake May had ran inside. "Baby? What's wrong?" May almost looked like she was out of breath. Skye was hot and sweaty and if she was being honest, wanted to be held, but she remained quiet as she looked at her Mom with blurred eyes, she couldn't stop crying. "Skye.." May took a few steps, slowly making her way toward Skye. "N-No!" She yelled.

May wasn't even sure Skye knew what was happening right now. Night Terrors weren't exactly uncommon for Skye. "Baby, it's me." May knelled down next to the bed so she was at eyes length. "Don't H-hurt m-me!" May would've felt hurt, but it was obvious Skye wasn't seeing things straight.

"I'd never hurt you Skye, never."

Skye didn't even know this was her Mom in front of her, even if she didn't 'see' her mom. Melinda took the initiative and pulled the girl toward her, and gently started rocking her. Her small hum drowned out over the tears of terror.

Slowly and slowly the girl had began to cease her tears. "Honey? Are you ready to tell me what that was about?" May asked but didn't stop her gentle rocking.

She shook her head. "I know it's hard but I can't help you unless you tell me baby." May took a deep breath. "Did you have a bad dream?" Skye nodded in May's arms, "Was it about them?" May didn't want to say their names. Skye wanted to keep quiet though because she learned very quickly since she woke up when she was upset, her words were worse. "I'm b-broken.. You T-throwded me away."

Skye's nightmare wasn't about Cal. This poor kids speech already slipped away when she was upset, if there was anyone who hurt her baby, May wanted to punch him or her right in the face. "We'd never get rid of you Skye. You know Mommy loves you... Right?"

The little girl nodded, she knew, but she still felt like a useless broken toy, which despite everything she'd ever felt before, was new.

May grabbed Skye's special blanket and lifted her right out of the bed. "Come on baby, you can sleep with me and Daddy tonight."

"I'm a-apposed to s-sleep in my o-own b-bed."

May let off a soft smile. "Yeah but it's much too warm in here. I think tomorrow we'll get you an air conditioner. You're supposed to be nice and cool while you rest." Skye was too tired to argue and laid her head on her moms shoulders. May made sure to be extra quiet and hoped neither Bobbi or Natasha woke up.

"Phil." May gently called out. He was awake from the screams too, but he was sitting on his bed resting on the headboard with the table lamp on. "Someone's going to spend the night with us. She had a bad dream, and it's much too warm in there."

Phil smiled and nodded. "I'll take a look at it in the morning, how are you feeling angel?" Skye tiredly looked up to her Dad, clutching her blanket like the lifeline it had always become to her. "M'kay."

"I think she's just overtired."

May put Skye on the bed and the little girl immediately climbed into the middle next to her Dad. It felt right, Skye knew they'd never hurt her, especially her Dad. Despite those stupid bad dreams, she was safe. May climbed back in bed and covered Skye and herself up, Phil gave her a kiss and May gave Skye a kiss before Phil turned the light on. "Sweet dreams Angel." May smiled again, "Goodnight Baby." Skye didn't even really respond, all they heard as soon as the lights hit were a soft sounds of a little overtired girl sucking her thumb. A habit May had intended to fully break before all of this. But she needed her own self soothing right now.

"Maybe we should check on her?" Natasha wondered as her and Bobbi listened from their newly shared room. "Moms got her." Bobbi replied. "Besides you're not supposed to leave that bed." She glared her sister down she looked like she was getting ready to try and get out of bed. "Don't you even think about it."

"I was just..."

"You were just going to lay back down."

"You know, it's not that bad. They wouldn't have released me so soon if I wasn't okay."

Bobbi had wondered about that actually. "Don't you think it was odd how quick you and Skye were released?"

Natasha looked at her sister... "What are you getting at?"

Bobbi flicked the light on and climbed into the bed, crossing her legs and facing her sister. "I mean, Skye was released hours after she woke up from a Coma she was in for days, after getting..." Bobbi shuttered at the images. "They should have never released her, or yourself honestly so fast."

She did have a point. "I didn't even think about it." Natasha admitted guiltily. "I was going to say something to Mom, but I wanted to give it a day or two. I mean... Everyone's been through so much-"

"You've been through a lot too Bobbi. You did what I don't think I could ever do."

Taking a Mans life is no feat. Just like her younger sister , May had taught her girls to protect themselves. The world was a scary place and these events had proven that. The world was worse than what they had thought. "There was so much blood Tash." Bobbi quietly spoke as she turned her head away, trying to shake the images from her head. "From Skye I mean. I still don't know how she made it out. She was shaking so much when she untied me.. She was so small... Even more scared than the Mall. I had to get her out."

"And you did. You got her out, not under the best circumstances but dammit Bobbi she's alive, we all are. We can't beat ourselves up. I may have been shot, but we need to agree right here, right now. Skye needs the most care. We need to show her that no matter what comes, she's our sister and nothing, and I mean nothing can change that. We give her time with her words, we keep her safe. She'll understand that we'll always be there for her." Natasha proudly stated. Bobbi looked back over to her sister and smiled. "You dork. I couldn't have said it better myself... Agreed."

"HELP, HELP!" Skye yelled out in terror as she looked around the empty room. The two men were gone. She had pretended to be asleep when she heard them leaving. "Anyone!" She cried out to no answers. "I just wanna go home." Skye sniffed behind her sobs.

After a few minutes a door creaked open and for a minute Skye thought the two men were back. "Grant!? Please Help!"

Ward closed the door behind him. "Skye? What are you doing here?"

"Two bad boys took me and my sister! Please get me out." She felt the tears flow again without permission as Grant hesitantly made his way over to the couch and grabbed the rope that held Skye in place. "I shouldn't, just hurry and leave. They'll be back soon." He whispered, Skye gave Grant a hug as she ran off looking for Bobbi, Grant had made his way out of the room. Grant Ward was also the first person to see Skye's sister shoot John. "I'll never forgive them."

The next time Skye woke up, she was breathing heavily and May wasn't there, tears started to flow down, Phil was still sleeping next to her, but she wanted May- her Mom. Who had the ability to soothe her fear. She must've been making noise though because Phil was stirring. "Morning Skye." He smiled. "I'm s-sorry d-daddy." She cried. Throughout the first nightmare Skye had woken up 2 more times throughout the night. And each time her Mom held her, and calmed her down. Now she was just cranky and exhausted from her lack of sleep.

"And what did your Mommy tell you, Skye?" Skye wiped the tears and climbed into her Dads lap, something she would have never done anywhere else. "Take your time, use your words." His Dads voice was kind and gentle, as always.

Skye took a deep breath, trying to count in her hard and count to 10. Like her Mom taught her to do when she got overwhelmed. "She t-told m-me t-to..." Skye stopped her sentence, as she started to get angry. She was tired,overwhelmed, and angry. "I d-don't wanna t-talk a-anymore d-daddy." Skye crossed her arms and pouted.. "That's fine sweety. I know you're frustrated, and that's fine. You're allowed to be angry." Phil sat up and moved Skye a bit so she was comfortable and facing him on his lap. "What happened was bad, but you need to know you're safe now. And I'll keep telling you that until you believe it. Things are different now, and I know you think you're different, but Skye... I'm telling you're still the very sweet girl we know you are." Phil reassured his youngest daughter as he placed a cheek on her forehead.

Skye shyly nodded, she wanted to feel safe, she really did- but she didn't. Despite her fathers reassurances, she felt like a target, she felt empty, she felt... She felt broken. And that was the hardest part. She wanted to be normal, she wanted to run around and laugh. She spent her 7 years of life being abused, told she was worthless, pushed to the curb.. Sometimes literally. Phil and May had never laid a hand on her once, and they promised they never would. Her sisters and brother were great too, and yet she knew she was conditioned to feel fear all the time- and she did. Now she was more scared than ever, even more than she was before she'd been beaten bloody a few times.

"Come on, let's get ready. We'll have a good day. We'll take things slow, and before you know it, it'll be clear sky's for us."

True to a stubborn 7 year olds word, she didn't respond. She was still so small, carrying Skye down the stairs he noticed how light she still was. She could probably pass as a 5 year old.

Phil took in a deep breath. "Ahh, looks like your Mom made food that didn't burn. That's a rarity."

"Morning you two." May said with her back turned, facing the stove as she began to remove the eggs from the pan. Skye just looked at her Dad who smiled, she wondered how her Mom knew they were there. As May turned around and began plating the food she looked over at Skye who had bags under her eyes. "How do you feel baby?" May wondered.

Skye just shrugged her shoulders. May raised an eyebrow at Phil. "She said she's done talking."

May put a hand over Skye's forehead and brushed the hair out of her face. "She feels a little warm."

"It's probably because she's exhausted, she woke up crying again."

May frowned a bit before looking back at Skye. "Poor thing. Come here." May reached her hands out and Skye threw herself into them. "I want you to try and eat something. Doctors said light food for a few days and since you didn't eat anything last night I need you to eat so you don't get sick." May started walking over to the table and sat Skye down. She pushed the plate of eggs toward her and poured a glass of orange juice.

"Where's Tasha and Bobbi?" Phil asked as he took a seat across the table. May looked at him real quick "They were too afraid of my food, so Bobbi went and got breakfast sandwiches for themselves." May turned back to Skye who was just looking at her plate. "Please eat, Skye."

Skye shook her head, and May let out a heavy sigh. "It's gonna be a long day. You have to talk Skye. We can't help you through anything if you don't tell us what's wrong." Contrary to what May said, Skye could be silent. She was surprisingly good at it, and at least this way she didn't feel betrayed by her own body.

"Fine, you eat something and I won't force you to talk until you're ready. That sounds fair, right?" Skye didn't know if that's the word she would use, she definitely wasn't hungry though, but eating something was much more preferable than talking. She grabbed the fork with her left hand and took the smallest of bites of the eggs.

True to Mays word, she didn't push Skye to talk at all, and she realized herself just how hungry she actually was. "Your Dad has to go into work today, but I think you, me and Natasha will have a relaxing day."

A relaxing day did sound nice. In Skye's mind she thought she'd be able to stay close to Mommy, which was all she really wanted to do anyway. "And tomorrow we're going back to see Doctor Garner." Skye's head shot toward her Mom with a confused and concerned look. "I know it's not something you want to acknowledge, but Andrew can help you with... This delicate situation."

Skye's face grew angry. "B-because I'm B-broken!" Angry tears ran down her flushed cheeks as she yelled, she hadn't meant it but May didn't even look angry. In fact May just stood there, watching, waiting. May had expected this sooner or later. Fill a tire with enough air and it'll burst.

"You're not broken, Skye." Mays voice was gentle and kind, but this little one wasn't having any of that right now. "Y-You're w-wrong! I... I, I can't e-even t-talk now!" Skye yelled loudly at her Mother. The last person in the world she wanted to yell at, but Skye just couldn't stop herself now.

Mays expression remain unchanged, though it pained her to see her little girl in so much pain. "You've been through a lot of bad things baby, we can help, there's people who can help."

"N-no one can h-help me." She whispered as she looked down at the ground, tears cascading down. "I d-don't w-want to h-hurt anymore M-mommy."

That was what broke the stiff mental wall May had prepared for herself. "You won't hurt anymore." Mays voice broke and she forced back sobs of her own, seeing his little girl in so much pain was unbearable. "You, you are the best thing to have happened to me. You sweet girl. I'll keep telling you until you believe it."

There was nothing more heartbreaking, hearing a child say they didn't want to hurt. She was 7, she needed to feel safe, then tackle this speech issue.

Anger was something her little girl hardly showed, fear was the most common. No Mother could plan or even know how to deal with an abused child being kidnapped and hurt so bad they were in a coma, and then had trouble with words.

"W-why m-me? I w-want to b-be n-normal."

Normal.. Skye didn't exactly know what normal was but in her eyes it's how everyone else her age acted. She knew she couldn't help it, such raw emotion. "You are normal, different isn't a bad thing." May brushed a strand of hair away from Skye's face. "You are a beautiful and sweet person. You know this is your home, and you're never leaving again. I promise."

"I d-dont want t-to t-talk!" Skye outbursted again, raising her voice to a level she didn't intend. She wasn't lying though, every word was a betrayal, she felt trapped and betrayed in her own body and it made her angry. Very angry.

"You don't have to talk, but mind the attitude little one. I know you're going through a lot but you don't get your way by throwing a tantrum." May thought maybe she was pushing the boundary a bit to be honest, but despite everything there needs to be a structure in place of rules that they had been very lenient on. "I'm not trying to be mean baby, but I know you don't understand there's consequences for actual bad actions."

Skye's face looked shocked. Her mommy wasn't yelling but she was directing Skye a set of actual rules, and all without a single beating, or broken shards of glass being thrown at her. "Let's go eat." May said and picked Skye up without waiting for an answer. Skye just turned her head and laid it on her moms shoulder.

Exhausted and tired, and scared to let go. It was like she was in the ocean and the tide was coming in, the water would keep rising until it was too high for her. Her emotions were everywhere and now they were just dialed to 11.

Skye turned her head as May walked down the stairs and looked right at her mom. "I'm s-sorry."

May smiled slightly as she rubbed her back softly, soothingly. It'd probably look babyish to someone else but she didn't care. "All is forgiven Skye, it's been rough. Now you've got to be hungry."

She was hungry, starving actually. She had a few bites of hospital food and refused everything else from then. May pushed the plate further to Skye. May opened the cupboard for a glass. Skye was clumsy, so they had gotten plastic cups. But out of advice May had bought plastic cups with tops, that looked incredibly babyish for a 7 year old.

May turned around with both cups and held them at Skye. "I don't want to embarrass you, but while you're still getting better we got some plastic cups and plastic cups with a top." Skye took a glance at the topped one, "b-baby c-cup?"

"Well, it is a baby cup, and that's why I'm giving you a choice. You don't want to use it, but if you feel like you don't trust yourself just yet..."

"I'm n-not a-a b-baby."

"You're not." May kept her stance as she looked at Skye. "That's why I'm letting you choose. I'm trying to show you, you have choices. Don't think I don't know your hands have been shaking, I'm the Mommy, I see everything." Skye suddenly wanted to cry again. She kept the hands quiet when they asked what hurt. It was a small shake in her hands, but she didn't want to tell them another thing wrong with her because she was deathly afraid of them giving her up. "I love you to the Moon and Back." She didn't know why, but something in those words eased her fear and anxiety. The Moon was far, Skye knew that much.

Skye took a deep breath and tried to count to 10, she pointed to the cup with the top. "The Doctor said you needed to get your strength back. So all this tiredness and how weak you feel is normal. Lifting things and holding things might be a little hard for a while, and that's okay. You need some spoiling anyway."

May took out some kind of weird drink and poured it into the cup and turned the top on it. "It's pediasure. You're really tiny still so this is very healthy for you. It's chocolate flavored. Two a Day."

Skye took the funny cup and took a sip. The drink wasn't bad but it made her feel especially small and babyish. But she didn't want to complain anymore. "T-thank y-you m-m-mommy."

"I thought you said we wouldn't bring it up?" Phil questioned as May and himself climbed into bed. "I don't want her to hide things. I also don't want her thinking she can hide things from me, us even. I don't like that, she's weak, tired, and still scared. She needs some pampering." She leaned in closer to Phil. "I'm not sure pampering is the right word Melinda. I agree she needs some comfort but we're literally babying her, I don't think that's fair."

May pulled away from Phil a. It and looked at him in a concerned manner. "She's been abused for nearly 7 years and the one place she hasn't been she was kidnapped. She tried to hide the fact her hands were shaking because she didn't want us to give her up. Phil, she thought we'd give her up."

"We'd never-"

"I know we would never. But she needs to tackle these things at her pace. A few more days and we'll have Andrew come here, get his advice, until then if a 'spill proof cup' takes away from her dropping a cup and having a meltdown, so be it."

"You could've just given her a water bottle that seals up."

May took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, she was just as tired as Skye was. "She's too tiny still. This is easier, and it's my call, end of discussion. Good night." May pulled the covers up and faced herself away from Phil. She wasn't actually angry at him, she was just tired and annoyed and wanted to avoid a fight.

The next morning was more or less the same, Skye had woken up screaming in the middle of the night crying until May decided to lay down with Skye. She wasn't really in the mood to be in her room anyway right now. Breakfast was the same fight, but the off thing was the strange knock on the door. "Bobbi, are you expecting anyone?" May asked as she stood up from her chair next to Skye. "No, and Tasha isn't either. She's been out cold." Bobbi was cut again by another knock on the door, louder and somewhat harder.

May made her way to the door, unlocked it and slid the door open. It was an older women, Sister Ashley. May could never forget that face, but she was escorted with two police officers. "Quinn, Camilla. What can I help you two with?" May asked ignoring the Sister completely. Why was she even here?

"Melinda, we're going to need Skye to come with us." Quinn stated, and Mays heart stopped and she went rigid. "What? What are you talking about?" May asked defensively. "Ma'am, I asked these two for escorts so there would be no harm to the little one." The sister smiled slightly as she tilted her head and looked at May like she was an idiot.

"Excuse me?" May widened her eyes. "You're not taking my baby anywhere, thank you very much."

The sister pulled out a paper, "I'm afraid you don't have any choice. For the time being this home is no longer suitable for this girl to live in. She's in danger here and will be taken back to St. Agnes immediately."

May got mad. She never got mad, not really anyway. "You're not taking her!" That was enough for Bobbi and Phil to run to the door. "I can have you all placed under arrest and take her if need be. You've abused this girl for far to long, you've allowed her to be taken from you- and might I add, had her discharged way too quickly." She looked at the officers "Officers if they won't cooperate with us please detain them."

"She was kidnapped by her Psycho father!" Bobbi shouted, "Shot my sister, and held me and Skye captive for two days! There's no place safer than here! She's scared!" Bobbi was angry to, after everything they've been through she thought there was peace.

"Where's Shannon?" May questioned firmly, "She's Skyes social worker, why isn't she here?"

Sister Ashley seemed annoyed at that question, in fact she seemed to deflect the question itself, May knew Miss Shannon was flying back from the U.K. But was delayed by bad weather. There's no way she'd sign off on this. "Unfortunately we couldn't reach her, so any and all decisions in Child Abuse reside with me as long as noticing DCF."

"You have no case and you know it. What is this really about?" Phil spoke up taking a firm and protective stance from the doors opening. Unaware Skye could hear this whole thing. "Maybe. But do you really want to fight this in court and risk losing her forever. You haven't even officially adopted her yet. She isn't yours."

"Mel.." Phil whispered as he turned his head around and spoke, "They're not giving us much of a choice, look at the squad car. There's a light in the back window. They're filming is, they want us to snap."

"So we just give her our baby?" May's voice began to crack slightly at the question. "We have to. If we want her back we can't afford to be arrested."

"N-No!" Screams echoed from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw a crying Skye. Sister Ashley looked over half annoyed and resisted the urge to sigh. "It's for the best dear, these people hurt you."

"Y-You h-hurt m-me! My M-Mommy! Not A-again!"

"This isn't your Mommy Skye. Look at how much they hurt you."

Skye balled her shaking hands into fists, her hair blew into her face. A fave Sister Ashley has seen before. "I see your temper is just as bad."

"Enough! How is this professional?"

May took a few steps back in the house and lifted Skye up. "Baby.." She started saying as she stared right into Skye's puffy face. "M-Mommy p-p-please." She begged behind her sobs. Mays heart was broken, and she had just had his conversation again that she was finally safe. "Baby, what's happening right now isn't your fault, do you understand me? This is all on Me and Daddy. This is just a big misunderstanding." May wasn't sure her lie about the misunderstanding part was good or not from her own tears but, what could she say? She couldn't lie.. But she felt like she'd lose Skye's trust.

"This is not forever Skye, do you believe me?" May put her hand on Skye's cheek and wiped the tears from her eyes. May could hear the impatience coming from the sister but she couldn't care less. Skye didn't verbally respond, she gave a nod and hugged her Mom and hung on tight.

"This is wrong. Why are you doing this?!" Bobbi shouted from the doorway. Her anger was seeping through now. "I'm just doing what's right. There's been more incidents since she's been here."

"Bobbi, stay out of this." Phil said as he gently pulled her away from the door, he turned his body around to face the three trying to take her baby away and break the family. "You may not know exactly who we are. But we worked for the government a lifetime ago. You, you can expect a call. Very soon."

No sooner than May grabbing Skye's blanket did Sister Ashley push this process along, Skye didn't even get to say goodbye to Natasha. "Do you trust us baby?" Skye wiped her tear filled face and nodded.

Phil had to hold Bobbi and May back from running to Skye as they put her in the car. She wasn't even in a proper seat, she didn't meet the height or weight limit required to not be in a seat, Skye screamed the whole time from the minute she was ripped from May's arms, that was a scream of pure terror. In Skye's mind, she thought this was it. This probably had happened before, this was a reminder to Skye that despite where she was, she was never in control. "We thought there would be another attack, we didn't prepare for this kind. Phil, what are we going to do?"

Phil pulled both Bobbi and May into a hug. "We get her back. First things first, Bobbi you need to stay with your sister. Melinda, we're going to the Police department. I don't like this one bit."


	14. Far Away from Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye is brought back to the place she never thought she would see again, and now she’s dealing with the bully.

Chapter 14- Far Away From Home

Mold. The familiar smell of a worn down building that hadn't been maintained in decades, the creek in the floors were the same, the windows barred from the outside that made this place feel like a prison resonated in Skye. The difference this time, she finally had a Family. Her Mom said to trust her, and she did. She trusted May more than anything in the world. But being back here, in this room on the hard stuffy mattress, it just brought up the feeling of abandonment and it had surged all over.

For the most part no one had bothered her since they brought her back, which was fine by her, Skye would much rather be left alone anyway. Once people heard her speak they'd make fun of her again anyway. They always made fun of her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mary-Sue-Poots. Kill another family?"

Skye looked up at the all too familiar voice, just another bully. This is the one she hated the most though. "L-Logan.." She murmured quietly. Skye remembered the time he punched her right in the face, and said really mean things. "Just wanted to see how the reject was doing..." Logan narrowed his eyes and smirked, "So.. How is the reject doing?"

Now was not the time to make Skye mad.

Logan made his way into Skye's room, and rules here never changed, boys weren't even allowed in this wing. "I hate you, you know that. You're a good for nothing that no one loves." And right after that Logan wrapped his hands around Skye's throat; he squeezed tightly and she couldn't even scream for help. Not that anyone would come anyway. Skye knew his words were untrue, maybe before- but now she had a Mommy, a Daddy, two sisters, and a brother.

Skye's heart started to race as she started to panic. Memories of being taken rushed through her mind. The same memories that scared her at nights. How long was she going to allow herself to be hurt?

For once, something in Skye snapped. She didn't get scared, she got mad. She swung her leg up and kicked Logan where the sun doesn't shine. He screamed, loudly as he let go of her throat and fell on his knees. Skye remembered what Natasha had taught her, she curled her tiny hands into a fist and with one left swing and popped him right in the side of the face.

A huge triumphant smile beamed across her face. "Y-You're a b-bad b-boy L-Logan P!" That smile quickly changed to anger that held such sadness as she quickly looked at what she had done. She didn't want to hurt anyone... actually scratch that, in that moment, Skye's full intention was to inflict harm on this boy.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Skye looked back to the door and saw Miss Shannon. "You." She pointed at Logan who was still on the floor. "I am very disappointed in you, Logan. We do NOT put our hands on girls, and you shouldn't even be here." Skye was glad to see Miss Shannon again, and on her side. She even missed her accent, she made a mad dash for Shannon and hugged her tightly; tears streamed down her face. "I'm s-sorry!"

"You haven't done anything wrong love, Logan shouldn't be here."

"She hit me!" Logan yelled as he slowly pulled himself up from the ground, he looked mad. Shannon put her hands up and pointed at Logan. "Do you take me for a bloody fool? This isn't the first time you've tried to hurt poor Skye. You're older now, you should be setting a proper example. But here you are in a girls section. What exactly were you going to do up here?" Shannon asked as she braced herself for whatever answer he gave her. "Whatever I felt like doing!" He snapped harshly and Skye grabbed onto Shannon even tighter. "D-don't leave." Skye silently pleaded.

Shannon made a motion that led to her hand resting on Skye's head, and in that moment she had felt safe. "Right to the office with you."

Skye had closed her eyes tightly, Shannon would keep her safe, but Shannon took notice that Skye's neck was red. "Did he hurt you?"

A small sob escaped Skye as she nodded, "I d-didn't m-mean to!"

Shannon kneeled down and ran her hand through Skye's messy hair. "He should know better. I'm working hard to get you back to your Mum. I just need you to be patient Skye. I will get you home, I promise."

That was probably the most reassuring thing she'd ever heard in her life. "Why don't we take a walk, make sure Logan finds his way to the office and tell the head honchos?"

Skye made a small giggle, she didn't really understand what Miss Shannon meant, but she said it in a silly voice, Skye gave a nod and grabbed tightly onto her hand.

"I find that very hard to believe." Sister Claire said sternly, her face looked disapproving. "Logans a good boy."

Shannon stifled a laugh. "Surely we're not talking about the same boy who beat up poor Jeffery? Oh yes, quite an angel that one."

Sister Claire glanced at Skye, who had stayed quiet. The Sister wasn't a fan of Mary-Sue but no one but Miss Shannon was anyway. "I need to hear it from you Mary-Sue." Skye cringed at the name. "S-Skye."

"Legally you're still Mary-Sue and if we have anything to say about it you'll stay that way."

'Not if my Mommy had anything to say about it' was what she wanted to say, but she knew her words wouldn't come out right. "I mean that poor family abused you, and broke you even more. It's sad, really."

Shannon had moved slightly in front of the Sister blocking her view from Skye. "How is that any way to speak to a child? Call her broken, sod off. Don't think I didn't know you played your little part to get Skye back here, even tried to delay my flights. Bet you were awfully surprised to see me back so soon? Let me guess, you'd expected me back after the police statement you would've made, since I her social worker wouldn't have been present."

Shannon almost sounded proud of herself for staying one step ahead. "My files are exactly that, mine. And under emergencies like this where a child I care for is in danger, I can Release the files and only to the police- which I've should've done the first bloody moment I laid my eyes on them."

A sharp breath came from the nun, and Skye just looked up in a slight confusion. "Everything that's ever happened to this girl is all from you Nuns. I did this thing called research, every abuser she had, you knew. Through external sources of course. You've made this girls suffering, and I will no longer stand idol. She will be home to her parents by tomorrow. And before you try anything my lawyer has the immediate okay to send those files to the police. You've got red in your ledger sister. You all do."

Skye was absolutely amazed, Miss Shannon was always calm and sweet, but right now she could tell in her voice she was serious. She knew with her new Mommy what being serious sounded like. Skye walked around Miss Shannons leg, "Y-you made m-me l-l-leave my M-Mommy!" She shouted and stomped her foot on the ground to emphasize her anger.

Sister Claire tilted her head, as though she didn't understand the words Skye said, but felt like she was also mocking her. "You poor abused thing, you've been hurt so bad there you can't even tell."

That was it, that's when Skye could feel her little face heating up in anger. They wanted mad Skye, oh, they'd get it. "The Coulsons are a wonderful family I'll have you know Claire."

"Phil, I swear to god if you tell me one more time everything's going to be okay, I'll deck you right in the face." May angrily said as she kept pacing back and forth, waiting for the call from Shannon that everything was okay. "Momma, no one says that anymore." Natasha calmly spoke from the couch. She was sore but she was moving around a lot easier than before. "And he's right. Miss Shannon knows everything with this family and Skye's past. More than we know, Skye's always so quiet about a lot of things."

May stopped in her tracks and gave a small nod, her daughter had a point. "We never did really ask her. We've only read what's in her files Phil. We never asked her about those experiences."

"Those aren't things we want to push Melinda"

"Yeah, but she should know she has the option to tell us if she wants. She's seven, and keeps things bottled up. How could we possibly get mad at her when she explodes?"

Phil took hold of his stressed wife, and looked her dead in the eyes. "When we get her back we will ask her. But.." Phil slightly trailed off, "If she's still not ready, then that's okay. She knows it's different here."

Phil pulled his wife closer, and before he was able to pull her to his lips, Natasha spoke out."Zhǎo gè fángjiān, māmā"* ." She chuckled at her own words, knowing her Dad hadn't a clue what she said. Melinda pulled back and looked towards her daughter laying in the couch, TV remote in one hand, coffee in the other, Melinda wasn't even sure how she had gotten that coffee to begin with. "Honey...Zhèxiē dōu shì wǒmen de fángjiān, wǒ bǎozhèng wǒmen zài rènhé dìfāng dōu zuò dàole.."*

Natasha gulped as she turned her head back to the TV, Melinda stifled a laugh and turned back to Phil. "We're gonna have to teach you one day Phil."

"We should totally teach Skye too." Natasha chimed back in, "I think she'd like it."

"We will see, we have a lot of work to do when she comes home." Suddenly Melindas phone went off, it was a text from Miss Shannon, saying she was on her way with Skye. A watery laugh escaped May along with tears, "Our baby is on her way home."

"Who do we have here?" An unknown lady dressed in green asked as she approached the door leading out of the orphanage. Miss Shannon was taking Skye home. "We were just on our to bring this little one back to her Mommy and Daddy. She's very eager." Skye looked at Shannon curiously, her voice had changed completely and she wasn't saying her words funny anymore. Even Skye knew that British people called their Moms and Dads Mum and Dad. "Have we met before, or can I help you with something? I don't mean to be rude but Skye here has an early bedtime and want to see her family."

The lady rose her eyebrow in fascination. "You're Skye? Hi Skye, my name is Ophelia." The lady reached into her pocket and pulled out a small necklace, it was gold and had a toy robot head on it. "This is Aida the magic necklace. She can protect you forever. I'm happy to see you're going to your mommy and daddy. Please accept my gift."

"I'm n-not supposed to t-take things f-from s-strangers."

"As in lady Ophelia, the green mistress? Skye would humbly accept your gift."

Lady Ophelia smiled deeply and turned around, "I'm glad the requirements have been met for true happiness. Go home, and be with you family.

Skye didn't say anything and shyly followed Shannon as they headed towards the car, she was happy she was going home, which still sounded weird to say- even in her head. Though she couldn't help but feel the name Ophelia sounded... Familiar.. And the lady, she didn't know why. Skye supposed that in her life, she had watched lots of kids get adopted by Mommies and Daddies looking for a kid, and maybe.. Just maybe she had seen her before, but the name just didn't seem to fit with the face.

"That was certainly weird. Let's get you home to your family." Shannon said with a smile as she opened the back door, Skye easily reciprocated with a small smile of her own as she climbed into the back seat, Shannon seemed like she wanted to get out of here fast and Skye definitely caught onto that, but she pretended she didn't notice because she missed her Mom, and her Dad, and most certainly Natasha and Bobbi.

It didn't take long for Shannon to get on the road, Skye was securely strapped into her seat and was looking out the window. This was the first time that Skye was ever being brought back to a home that hadn't hurt her. Every day before being taken she felt more confident, more loved and most importantly she felt like a person with a purpose.

"Everything okay?" Shannon asked as she looked at Skye who was staring out the window. "I'm fine." She said with a huge breath of relief, she didn't manage to mess her words up and couldn't help but smile at the small victory. "Tired." She admitted

Shannon laugh and turned the radio on and popped in a disc, soft Disney tunes started playing and Skye instantly felt herself relax. "Glad to see some things haven't changed, just relax and you'll be home before you know it."

The little girl could only nod as the toll of the day kicked in and she closed her eyes. She wasn't sleeping fully but she was trying to remember why that lady looked so familiar. It was as though simply looking at her triggered something in her brain, and a 7 year old couldn't comprehend it.

"Aida, you've set the parameters to high here, the entire purpose of the Framework is to safely let people run through the simulations. Just look what happened to poor Jemma's body. We were lucky we uploaded her mind in time."

Aida turned back to the machine and pressed a few buttons. "Doctor.. What about Agent Johnson. We can't make her life easy?"

Doctor Radcliffe frowned. "No Aida we simply cannot, she's strong but her DNA is wild, it's like her DNA remembers certain things and adapts. It's quite fascinating really, so we give her the life she had before except harder. Make it so she's Skye the orphan, no one wants her, no one loves her." He explained calmly, Aida shot him a confused look, "wouldn't it be easier to have Agents Coulson and May... Mate? And have Daisy Johnson as their baby so we can monitor her easily?"

"In an ideal world we could've done that, but that's not what I'm telling you to do."

"But Doctor, what you want done is jeopardizing the Framework, which I am in charge of protecting."

"Skye.. Love, we're almost home." Skye sleepily rubbed her eyes as she opened them slowly. "Any good dreams?"

Skye shrugged "D-don't 'member" she said after a small yawn. "I know things haven't been pleasant lately, but you need to know Skye, they shouldn't have taken you from your home, I'm sorry to be so out with it, but they didn't have any rights." Shannon told the little girl parked down the street from their house.

"I-I just want my M-Mommy." She said with exhaustion, so much has happened for her little brain to understand fully.

Shannon let out a small sigh, "They're excited to see you, everyone actually." It was no shocker that this little one was exhausted even after a small nap, everything that's happened up until now wasn't something anyone should have to go through, especially a child. "So.. Want to tell me what was going on with you and Logan earlier?" Shannon asked as she briefly looked through the rear view camera. Skye turned her head to watch the cats drive by before she answered. "Stupid boy." She grumbled and crossed her arms, proud of herself for not slipping up her words. "Yeah.. They sure are, so young and smart to already see that." Shannon laughed, Skye couldn't resist in letting a small chuckle out. "He…" Skye paused to think of the words she wanted to say. "He said n-no one l-loves me." She admitted with a voice of sadness, it wasn't the first time she's heard these words, not by a long shot. But that didn't mean it hurt any less."

"He's wrong, like most boys. You have a Forever Family now Skye. And I know you're angry and sad and full of emotions that someone your age shouldn't even know exist, but… You do know they exist- and that's made you a stronger person because of it. You're a good girl Skye, with a good family. You're finally safe." These were words Skye needed to hear Shannon thought, and she meant every word of it, well.. Except that last part. But she would share her suspicions with Skye's parents. Shannon had a bad feeling, which was all the more reason to get her to the safest place possible.

Skye thought back to Shannon's words of safety. She believed it as much as her Mommy told it to be true, things were different than the last time she fought with that dumb Logan. She'd never forget she woke up and he was watching her sleep, when she noticed she was about to scream before he covered her mouth. His hand was tight around her mouth and she wanted to cry- that was before he started saying very mean things about how she looked, Skye didn't know what racism was at that time but she learned what those hurtful words meant eventually, but that was a day she'd never forget when she gave Logan two black eyes and bit his hand. That's probably why that was in her file, he played the victim even though he was in an area boys weren't allowed, but got hugs instead while Skye got dirty looks. Those looks. The looks of disgust, the looks of disappointment, the looks of… How she looked.

If there was one thing Skye knew, it was that she knew she wasn't completely on par with most kids her age, she knew she pronounced words like an overgrown toddler most of the time, and now the stutter to add to it. She knew, but she also knew deep down, she could be better. She could try, people encouraged it in this new home, she wasn't beaten, she wasn't hurt- by them. They cared.

"Come on Skye. Don't you want to see your Mum and Dad and sisters?" Shannon asked as she turned around to look at Skye who was staring at the house. "Yes." She said, she really wanted to see everyone. She didn't know what she'd even say to be honest.

The front door slammed opened and Skye's Mom and Dad ran out of the house. Skye dropped her bag and tears began to poor down her face, she ran as fast as she could into the warm grasp of her parents. Skye was sobbing hard as she grabbed onto her Mom. Grateful to be home, grateful to be safe. "Skye! My baby, I'm so happy to have you home again!" May said with choked words, Skye looked up and saw her Mommy was crying and her Daddy was smiling. "We're both so happy to have you home Skye." Phil said as he placed a small kiss on top of Skye's forehead. "I missed y-you." Skye cried out as she tried her best to bury herself as deep into Mays neck as possible, breathing in that scent of safety.

"Mr. Coulson, might I have a word with you?" Shannon asked as she pointed towards the car. Phil nodded and followed the young girl. "Miss Shannon?" Phil asked.

"I don't want to alarm any of you, honestly- but there's been some substantial evidence and you need to know the truth." Her words were straight on and Phil could feel dread in his chest, but he remained silent. "She's safe.. For now, I'm doing all I can, it's the nuns, and who knows how many others." Shannon took a flash drive out of her pocket and handed it to Phil. "This drive contains everything on Skye, the good, the bad, and the horrific. I don't know when they'll try and take her again, but the next time won't be by legal methods. As long as you don't have complete custody they'll find a way to take her."

Phil nodded as he listened. "We wanted to surprise Skye when she got out of the hospital but we couldn't get anyone to sign the forms from the orphanage."

"Give me the forms to sign and get those papers to court. That way, she'll be yours forever and I have a few judges that owe me some favors, I have a coworker who if something happens to me is sent to them along with the police, however they're aware of the situation. Her name is Jen, and she's one of the best, take this number and don't hesitate to call her, she's also a brilliant speech therapist." Phil agreed, "We have friends in high places too. Thank you Miss Shannon, for protecting Skye."

-*Get a room, Momma

-*These are all our rooms, and I promise we have done it everywhere.

Note- the translations are from an translator site, so it might not be 100%.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -*Get a room, Momma
> 
> -*These are all our rooms, and I promise we have done it everywhere.
> 
> Note- the translations are from an translator site, so it might not be 100%.


End file.
